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Media and Diversity forum held at Monash South Africa

1 March 2007

Media and Diversity forum held at Monash South Africa

Left: Lord Megnad Desai, Emeritus Professor of Economics at the London School of Economics with Professor Richard Larkins, AO Vice Chancellor and President of Monash University at the opening of the Media and Diversity in the Commonwealth forum in Johannesburg.

The fourth Diversity Matters forum on the subject ‘Media and Diversity in the Commonwealth’ focused on the relationship between the media and communities throughout Commonwealth countries.

Held at the Monash South Africa campus in Johannesburg from 21 – 24 February 2006, the forum addressed key issues currently facing countries and communities throughout the Commonwealth, and explored approaches to the reporting and representation of cultural diversity in both the traditional and emerging media.

Key speakers and representatives debated issues such as:

  • the problems with objective reportage, pre-conceptions and stereotyping, getting an accurate portrayal of smaller communities out in the media;
  • the role of the media in opinion-making;
  • cultural diversity within newsrooms and the diversity of talent recruitment by newsroom managers;
  • getting the real story out: providing great spokespeople, skilling-up community leaders, working constructively with all forms of the media countering negative stories, caricatures, prejudice.

The forum included study tours and informal workshop sessions, as well as keynote speeches from some of the world's leading media and government organisations.

The lineup of keynote and session speakers included Lord Meghnad Desai, Emeritus Professor at the London School of Economics and Director of the Centre for Good Governance. Lord Desai is an active and well-known member of the House of Lords and is an adviser to the current Labour Government.

Other international participants included: Ms Fooyong Chua, Executive Vice President of MediaCorp Singapore; Professor Richard Larkins, Vice Chancellor and President of Monash University Australia; Mr Francis Herman, CEO of Fiji Broadcasting Corporation; Mr Mahfuz Anam, Publisher of the Daily Star; Bangladesh; Elizabeth Smith, Secretary General, Commonwealth Broadcasting Association, UK; Mr Mallam Abubakar Jijiwa Director General of the Voice of Nigeria and President of the Commonwealth Broadcasting Association; and Mr Ravindra Kumar Editor of The Statesman, India and Chair of the Asia News Network.

South African participants included: Prof Tyrone Pretorius, Pro Vice-Chancellor, Monash South Africa; Patrick Lawrence assistant editor of The Star; Paula Fray, media trainer and former editor of The Saturday Star and Professor Sipho Seepe, Academics Director, Henley Management College.

The forum was organised by the Australian Multicultural Foundation, in partnership with the Monash Institute for the Study of Global Movements, the Commonwealth Foundation, Monash University - South African Campus and The Statesman of India.
For more information visit www.diversitymatters2007.org