NEW ORLEANS, April 25, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A panel of national journalists, a photojournalist and media makers will discuss and exchange ideas for addressing the unconscious bias of race that is ever present in contemporary media. Most people understand race and racism through the lens of the media and today's media has become the new public square where ideas and values are expressed. According to Ball State University, the average American spends more time using media devices— television, radio, iPods and cell phones—than any other activity while awake, yet what are the messages that we receive about race implicitly and explicitly? Panelists will discuss successful and proactive interventions to reform the media to address its institutional racism and hold the media industry accountable for its actions.

Who: Moderator: Gregory L. Moore, Editor, Denver Post

Panelists:

• Evelyn Hsu, Senior Director of Programs and Operations, Robert C. Maynard Institute for Journalism Education
• Roberto Lovato, Co-Founder, Presente.org
• Shirley Sneve, Executive Director, Native American Public Telecommunications
• Adam Stoltman, Photographer, Editor, Entrepreneur, E2 Productions

What: "Unpacking Racial Bias in the Media" Plenary Session at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation's America Healing Convening

When: Thursday, April 26, 2012
10:15 a.m.—11:45 a.m.

Where: New Orleans Marriott
Studio 7-8, 2nd Floor
555 Canal Street
New Orleans

Transcripts will also be available for download from www.wkkf.org or www.AmericaHealing.org.

About the W.K. Kellogg Foundation
The W.K. Kellogg Foundation (WKKF), founded in 1930 as an independent, private foundation by breakfast cereal pioneer, Will Keith Kellogg, is among the largest philanthropic foundations in the United States. Guided by the belief that all children should have an equal opportunity to thrive, WKKF works with communities to create conditions for vulnerable children so they can realize their full potential in school, work and life.

The Kellogg Foundation is based in Battle Creek, Mich., and works throughout the United States and internationally, as well as with sovereign tribes. Special emphasis is paid to priority places where there are high concentrations of poverty and where children face significant barriers to success. WKKF priority places in the U.S. are in Michigan, Mississippi, New Mexico and New Orleans; and internationally, are in Mexico and Haiti. For more information, visit www.wkkf.org.

About America Healing
WKKF launched America Healing in 2010 to support programs that promote racial healing and address racial inequity, with the goal to ensure that all children in America have an equitable and promising future. In 2011, it hosted the first America Healing conference in Asheville, NC, and this year's conference is being held April 24 - 27, 2012, in New Orleans.

SOURCE W.K. Kellogg Foundation