Detailed Schedule Takes Shape for Poynter Journalism Ethics Forum

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., Oct. 15, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Poynter Institute—in partnership with craigconnnects, the Web-based initiative created by Craig Newmark, and the Paley Center for Media—has announced the program schedule for the Journalism Ethics Forum it will host on October 23 at the Paley Center in Manhattan. The daylong event will bring together thought leaders from journalism and the digital era to create a new set of ethical guidelines. The symposium is funded through grants provided by craigconnects and the Ford Foundation.

"Are we in a post-truth era? Will the digital space ever reflect our communities? Should we let the daily story die? These questions and many more will be fodder for the symposium," said Kelly McBride, Poynter's Senior Faculty for Ethics, Reporting and Writing. "Our goal is that, together, we can write new guidelines for journalism in the 21^st century."

McBride and Tom Rosenstiel, founder and director of Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism, will lead the discussion with authors and other experts in the area of digital journalism, all of whom will contribute to the new guidelines.

"Journalists today are moving so fast and trying so hard to stand out from the crowd that it's easy to overlook the why and the how of what they do," said Andrew Heyward, one of the Symposium moderators, a member of the Paley Media Council and former President of CBS News. "The thought leaders at Poynter and Paley, along with Craig Newmark and the Ford Foundation, are performing a vital service by calling out some of the important ethical issues that arise out of the digital news revolution."

The schedule of speakers for the day is as follows:

9 a.m. Welcome
J. Max Robins, Vice President and Executive Director, Paley Center for Media
Karen Dunlap, President, The Poynter Institute         
Craig Newmark, Founder, craigslist and craigconnects

9:15 - 9:30 The View From Here
Kelly McBride, Senior Faculty, The Poynter Institute
Tom Rosenstiel, Director, Project for Excellence in Journalism, Pew Research Center

9:30 -10:45 The Truth: Is It Possible in the Digital Era? 
Moderator: John Paton, CEO, Digital First Media

Clay Shirky, Professor, New York University "Post Truth, Post Professional, Post Scarcity"
Steve Myers, Deputy Managing Editor, The Lens, "Fact-Checking 2.0"
Adam Hochberg, Instructor, University of North Carolina School of Journalism and Mass Communications, "Whose Money Should We Take? Credibility in Investigative Non-profit Newsrooms"
Craig Silverman, writer, "Regret the Error," "The Corrections: A Sign of Sickness or Health?"

10:45 - Break

11-12:15 The Voices: Will Digital Space Ever Reflect Our Communities?
Moderator: Emily Bell, Director, Tow Center for Digital Journalism at Columbia University

Eric Deggans, TV/Media Critic, Tampa Bay Times, "(Mostly) White and (Sometimes) Brown Media People in a (Mostly) Brown and (Sometimes) White World"
Ann Friedman, freelance editor and writer, "It's Not What You Look Like, It's What You Eat"
Monica Guzman, columnist, The Seattle Times, "The Community, Formerly Known as the Crowd, Is It a Means or an End?"

12:15-1:15 Lunch

1:15-2:30 The Vehicle: Can This Ride Take Us to Democracy?
Moderator: Stephen Buckley, Dean of Faculty, The Poynter Institute

Gilad Lotan, Vice President, Research and Development, SocialFlow, "The Unintended Consequences of Algorithmic Curation"
Dan Gillmor, Director, Knight Center for Digital Entrepreneurship, Arizona State University, "Can Private Platforms Coexist With Journalism's Public Service?"

2:30 - 2:45 Break

2:45 - 4 p.m. The Story: What Stories Do People Want and Need? 
Moderator: Andrew Heyward, Former President, CBS News

danah boyd, Senior Researcher, Microsoft Research, "The Cost of Fear in an Attention Economy"
Tom Huang, Sunday and Enterprise Editor, Dallas Morning News, "Should We Let the Daily Story Die?"
Kenny Irby, Senior Faculty, The Poynter Institute, "Seeing Is No Longer Believing"
Kelly McBride, Senior Faculty, The Poynter Institute, "We're Feeding an Originality Breakdown"

4-4:30 The New Ethics of Journalism: A Guide for the 21st Century
Moderators: Tom Rosenstiel and Kelly McBride

4:30 Going Forward
Paul Tash, Chairman and CEO, Times Publishing Co. 

For a link to the full schedule for the day or to make a reservation for the event, go to: http://about.poynter.org/training/in-person/ethicssymp. The event will be followed by a mixer that is open to the public, hosted by Mark Glaser of PBS MediaShift and sponsored by CUNY Graduate School of Journalism and ScribbleLive.

About The Poynter Institute
Founded in 1975 in St. Petersburg, Fla., The Poynter Institute is one of the nation's top schools for professional journalists and news media leaders, as well as future journalists and journalism teachers. Poynter offers training throughout the year in the areas of online and multimedia, leadership and management, reporting, writing and editing, TV and radio, ethics and diversity, journalism education and visual journalism. Poynter's News University (www.newsu.org) offers journalism training to the public through more than 200 interactive modules and other forms of e-learning. It has more than 200,000 registered users in 225 countries. Poynter's website, (www.poynter.org) is the dominant provider of journalism news, with a focus on business analysis and the opportunities and implications of technology.

About craigconnects
Launched in March 2011, craigconnects is Craig Newmark's personal, Web-based initiative to support philanthropy, public service, and organizations getting results in both areas.  The initiative spotlights individuals, organizations and agencies working for veterans and military families, open government, public diplomacy, back-to-basics journalism, consumer protection, election protection and voter registration, and technology for the common good.  craigconnects is a fiscally sponsored project of Community Initiatives. 

About Media Council at the Paley Center for Media
The Media Council brings together top executives and leading thinkers in the global media industry to discuss critical issues that will define the media and its role in society for generations to come. The Media Council's global reach and extraordinary convening authority enable it to host a broad spectrum of gatherings—including Roundtable Breakfasts, Boardroom Luncheons, Dialogues, Panel Discussions, and other special events—at its distinctive locations in New York City and Los Angeles. Serving as both catalyst and independent forum, it facilitates discussions on pressing topics that span all areas of the industry, including communications, technology, creative content, and journalism. For information about becoming a member of the Media Council, please contact Stephanie Kousoulas at 212.621.6732 or [email protected].

CONTACT: 

Kelly McBride
Senior Faculty, Ethics, Reporting and Writing
The Poynter Institute
[email protected]
727-821-9494

Jessica Blais
Marketing Director
The Poynter Institute
[email protected]
727-821-9494

Bruce Bonafede
Media Liaison
craigconnects
760-831-5080
[email protected]

Joel Topcik
Director, Industry Programs
The Paley Center for Media
212-621-6612
[email protected]

SOURCE The Poynter Institute