Conference discusses building trust; reporting about climate
Aside from the terrific keynote from Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Ressa and our peace journalism sessions (see previous blogs), there were a number of enlightening sessions at the recently concluded East West Center International Media Conference in Honolulu.

For example, an opening panel discussed building trust in newsrooms and on social media. Dr. Joan Donovan from the Schorenstein Center at Harvard University discussed how journalists amplify hate speech by interviewing hate groups, “giving them what they want.” She attributed the drive to tell haters’ stories to competitive patterns which she believes should be transformed into more collaborative media models. H.R. Venkatesh, a fact checker from India, noted that “the truth has shifted elsewhere, away from those who are dedicated to facts.” He advocated what he called media literacy journalism that would combine traditional journalism with “story checks” that detail how the story was done, how facts were checked, etc. 

Building Trust panel, at EWC Intl Media Conf.

There were several interesting panels on reporting about climate change. Dr. Matthew Shapiro from the Illinois Institute of Technology shared some ideas about how media can better communicate about the climate crisis. These include reporting on the impacts, including the cost to individuals; to make climate reporting relevant by making it geographically-specific; and highlighting the costs of climate change-related extreme weather events.

I attended a number of eye opening breakout sessions, including one presented by May Lee, founder of Lotus Media House in Long Beach, CA. She laid out a strong indictment against traditional coverage of Asians in the media, including marginalization and stereotyping (rich, monolith, model minority, hypersexual women, etc.) Lee then discussed how Covid-19 exacerbated a bad situation, thanks in part to language like “Chinese virus” and “kung flu” spread the previous administration. While we didn’t discuss peace journalism in this session, the application of PJ (including telling counternarratives and giving voice to the voiceless) could certainly help address these problems.

On the conference’s final day, Liz Allen, Acting Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy, addressed the crisis of disinformation in the Asia-Pacific region. She said people still want to trust and seek truth, and that the issue is knowing who to trust. Allen said the State Department is dedicated to the maxim that “hard truths must be addressed with honesty…We’re committed to telling the truth even when the truth is hard to face.” She discussed several State initiatives to shape information environments and platforms, including a Digital Communication Network and a Global Engagement Center, both designed to combat disinformation. The Young Southeast Asia Leaders Program also includes trainings on battling disinformation, according to Allen.

The international media conference was a rousing success. The speakers were informed, articulate, and well prepared—not always a given in conferences of this sort. There was a good mix of speakers from different regions, and a variety of current, compelling topics discussed. The conference itself ran like a Swiss watch—reliable and on time. The extensive planning and expertise by the East West Center staff, led by Media Programs Manager Susan Kreifels, was evident.

On a personal note, this was my first post-pandemic conference. It was wonderful getting back out there—great to hand out business cards, meet new people in person, and chat about life during coffee breaks. I can’t wait for my next conference!