Roundtable Discussion

Media Coverage of Conflict:
Focus on Mindanao as an Exemplar

March 31 to April 2, 2006

Organized by:

James M. Cox Jr. Center for International Mass Communication Training & Research
University of Georgia
Athens, GA 30602 USA

The James M. Cox Jr. Center for International Mass Communication Training and Research, a leading journalism education center based in the United States, is inviting distinguished journalists from Manila to join in an open dialogue on the topic of media coverage of conflict, with particular focus on the coverage of the conflict in Mindanao.

The purpose of the dialogue is to develop a shared understanding of the challenges of covering conflict and of possible ways to address those challenges. Discussion will be open. Experts from within the country and from elsewhere will join the group and participate in the discussions. One possible outcome of the discussions is a set of guidelines for coverage of the Mindanao conflict and of other conflicts around the world.

The program will follow a moderated-discussion format. The moderator will direct attention to a topic and then ask participants in the room to comment. Everyone at the table will be considered an expert and asked to contribute.

Below is a tentative list of topics to be covered and the likely order in which they will be addressed. The final list of topics and order of discussion will be determined by the participants in the roundtable discussion themselves.

Characteristics of the coverage of Mindanao in the Manila media.
Explanations for the nature of coverage of Mindanao in the Manila media.
Topics that are undercovered by the Manila media when reporting on Mindanao.
Topics that are overcovered by the Manila media when reporting on Mindanao.
The role of the media in fostering conflict resolution.
International perspectives on media and conflict: Rwanda, former Yugoslavia, Iraq
Standards that can be developed for coverage of conflict.
What media professionals in other countries can learn from the Mindanao experience. 

Schedule

Session 1 6-7 p.m. Friday

Session 2 8-9:30 p.m. Friday

Session 3 9 a.m. - noon Saturday

Session 4 1-5 p.m. Saturday

Session 5 9 a.m. - noon Sunday

Session 6 1-2 p.m. Sunday