Bangkok Media Conference 2008
CHANGING DYNAMICS IN THE ASIA PACIFIC:
Power Politics, Economic Might, and Media Challenges
January 20-23, 2008
Bangkok, Thailand
Novotel Siam Square Hotel
Draft agenda now online!
Conference blog debut!
This conference will provide the most current and reliable information on the big stories in the Asia Pacific, as well as the lesser known but important emerging issues. Attendees will get the latest on Asia's dynamic media as well as challenges facing journalists in the region.
Keynote Speakers:
- Surin Pitsuwan, Secretary General, Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Keynote Address: "Eternal Vigilance: The Role of the Media in East Asia Community Building," Sunday Jan 20, 6:30-9:00 pm.
- Orville Schell, Arthur Ross Director of the Center on US-China Relations at the Asia Society, New York, New York, USA; and former Dean of the Graduate School of Journalism at the University of California, Berkeley, California, USA. Keynote Address on U.S. Media Issues: "What Is Happening in the American Media and How It Relates to Asia," Monday Jan 21, 9:00-10:15 am.
- Sheila Coronel, Director, Toni Stabile Center for Investigative Journalism, Columbia University, New York City, USA; 2003 Ramon Magsaysay Awardee for developing investigative journalism in the Philippines. Keynote Address on Asia Media Issues: "Between the Tiger and the Crocodile: Creating Spaces for Watchdog Journalism in the New Asia," Monday Jan 21, 10:45am-noon.
- Li Datong, Senior Editor, China Youth Daily; former Chief Editor, Freezing Point Weekly of China Youth Daily, Beijing, China; free-lance writer and contributor to openDemocracy on current global affairs. Luncheon Talk: "The Changes and Development of China's Media," Monday Jan 21, 12:15-1:45pm.
- Chris McNally, China Specialist, East-West Center, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA. Keynote Address: "China's Development Challenges," Tuesday Jan 22, 9:00-10:00 am.
- Jimmy Lai, Founder/Chairman, Next Media Ltd., Hong Kong, SAR China. Keynote Address: “Media Business in Greater China: A Conversation with Jimmy Lai,” Wednesday Jan 23, 9:00-10:15 am.
- Isaac Mao, Co-Founder of Social Brain Foundation, Beijing, China; Co-Founder of CNBlog the earliest website promoting grassroots publishing in China. Luncheon Address: "Social Media in China: From Personal Meme to Massive influence," Wednesday Jan 23, 12:15-1:45 pm.
- Michael T. Osterholm, Director, Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP); Editor, CIDRAP Business Source; Director, NIH-supported Center of Excellence for Influenza Research and Surveillance within CIDRAP; Professor, School of Public Health, and Adjunct Professor, Medical School, University of Minnesota
- Christopher Moore, Award-Winning Author, Asia-based novels, Bangkok, Thailand. Dinner Address: "The Ghost of Somerset Maugham," Wednesday Jan 23, 6:30-9:00 pm.
Other Program Highlights and Speakers Include:
- Everything China. 2008 will be a big year for China. Leading Chinese journalists, foreign correspondents and other experts will talk about the Olympics, the impact of blogging, and other important China stories. Speakers include Isaac Mao, co-founder of Social Brain Foundation and CNBlog.org--the earliest evangelizing site in China on grassroots publishing--who openly challenged Google to support anti-censorship; Li Datong, former chief editor of Freezing Point Weekly, a publication of China Youth Daily, who has been dismissed twice in his career from editor positions for his efforts to reform China's media; experienced sports journalist Francesco Liello, China correspondent for La Gazzetta dello Sport and board member of the Foreign Correspondents Club of China who has been covering Olympics developments since March 2005; and East-West Center's China specialist Chris McNally.
- Michelle Burford, founding editor and feature writer for O, The Oprah Magazine will lead a panel on Covering Diversity in the United States.
- Cao Jianjie, deputy editor, Sports Department, English Service, Xinhua News Agency, Beijing; and Xie Songxin, assistant to the editor-in-chief and director of National Department, China Daily, will join the panel on Covering the 2008 Olympics.
- Kunda Dixit, editor of the Nepali Times, will join the panel on Covering Conflicts. He will also share his photo exhibit on the Nepal conflict and talk about how these photos are being used in the peace and reconciliation process there.
- Pressian, a leading Korean online news service, will join our online panel.
- New panels include Covering Infectious Diseases featuring senior U.S. and Asian health reporters; and a panel of specialists discussing Migration and Human Trafficking in the Asia Pacific.
- Burma insights from Aung Zaw, editor and director of The Irrawaddy magazine, a foremost publication covering Burma; and from other Burmese journalists.
- Frontline views from Northeast Asia and Korean peninsula, Southeast Asia, South Asia and the Pacific Islands, plus key issues that will impact the 2008 U.S. presidential elections and U.S.-Asia Pacific relations.
- Blogging and other New Media trends, challenges facing journalists and impact of newsroom nationalism on media coverage.
- Workshops on investigative reporting, enterprise reporting, web-based journalism and reporting on China.
- Covering conflicts.
- Conference registration includes a half-day field trip into Bangkok's slums with people known for their work with the poor; to an organization outside Bangkok that offers help and protection to victims of abuse and HIV/AIDS and that promotes women's issues; or a tour of Bangkok's temples with a cultural expert.
For more information, contact Susan Kreifels, East-West Center media programs coordinator, at kreifels@eastwestcenter.org, or call (808) 944-7176.
Registration Information
Early Registration (Extended to Nov. 12, 2007): US$75.00
Regular Registration (Starts Nov. 13, 2007): US$100.00
Pre-and post-newsgathering excursion registration deadline Nov. 12, 2007.
Registration includes conference materials, two dinners, three lunches, and a choice of a 1/2 day field trip in Bangkok.
Printable registration form in MS Word.
Online registration and payment now available!
Learn about visa requirements and download a visa application for Thailand here.
Description of 1/2 day field trip options:
Option I, Klong Toey Slum: CLOSED. This group will visit Klong Toey, Bangkok’s largest slum, to meet with Father Joe Maier, a straight-talking priest who has worked with the poorest of the poor here for 33 years. Father Joe, a Redemptorist Priest, and Sister Maria Chantavarodom of the Daughters of Queenship of Mary Immaculate, whom the group will also meet, founded the Human Development Foundation in 1974. The Foundation, a nondenominational, community-based field organization, now operates 20 kindergartens for slum children, five orphanages, and a care home for mothers and children with AIDS. It also provides a variety of community services to the poor. Website: http://www.fatherjoe.org
Option II, Gender Development Research Institute: The afternoon’s visit will take us just outside of the hustle and bustle of Bangkok to the peaceful Gender Development Research Institute (GDRI) campus. The campus tour will include the opportunity to learn more about the many services provided there: an emergency home for women and children who have been victims of domestic violence, a clinic, a shelter for women with AIDS, and a vocational training center. The Institute is active in policy research and policy advocacy on issues that affect Thai women’s lives and welfare. GDRI, the research arm of the Association for the Promotion of the Status of Women, is a private, non-profit organization established in 1990 with support from UNIFEM.
Option III, Art and Architecture of Bangkok: A cultural expert from Silpakorn University, Thailand’s leading university for fine arts and archaeology, will serve as a guide to introduce us to the significance and symbolism of Thai traditional art, in particular Buddhist temple art and architecture, as we tour several of these impressive religious and cultural treasures.
Participant Panels
Would you like to participate in the conference as a presenter? Submit a brief summary for consideration to media-alumni@eastwestcenter.org. You may propose an individual presentation or you may collaborate with fellow alumni to propose a panel. You must register and pay the registration fee in order for your presentation to be considered. Final submission deadline is November 30, 2007. Presentation summary should not exceed 150 words.
Conference Hotel
Our conference hotel is the Novotel Bangkok on Siam Square. Rooms are available at the conference rate of US$120 per night. Make your reservations early to ensure room availability at this special rate! Complete the Reservation Form and email to sukanya-sales@novotelbkk.com with CC to Panut to reserve your room at the conference rate.
Additional Hotel Options
Below are additional hotels, at a variety of price ranges, convenient to the conference hotel (in walking distance or by SKYTRAIN). Prices are given in Thai Baht and may not be inclusive of tax or other charges. These rates subject to change. Please contact the hotel of your choice directly for current rates and availability.
Reno Hotel
40 Soi Kasemson 1, Rama 1 Road
Phone (66-2) 215-0026; Fax (66-2) 215-3430
Price: 840B - 1,180B double; from 1,300B suiteAsia Hotel
296 Phyathai Road, in front of Ratchathewi SKYTRAIN station
Phone (66-2) 215-0808; Fax (66-2) 217-0109
Price: 1700B superior single; 1850B superior twinCape House Hotel
43 Soi Langsuan, Ploenchit Road, Lumpini, Pathumwan
Phone: (66-2) 658-7444
Price: 2,600B studio; 3,300B 1 bedroomSasa International House
Phyathai Road
Phone: (66-2) 216-8844; Fax: (66-2) 215-3880; E-mail: SasaHouse@sasin.edu
Price: 2,500B single; 2,700B twinWendy House
36/2 Soi Kasaem San 1, Rama 1 Road Patumwan
Phone: (66-2) 214-1149, (66-2) 214-1150; Fax: 662-612-3487
Price: 800 -1,350BMuangphol Mansion
931/9 Soi Kasem San 1, Rama 1 Road, Patumwan
Phone: (66-2) 219-4445; Fax: (66-2) 216-8053
Price: 680 - 780B
Cancellation Policy
Requests for refunds (minus US $25 for each individual registered) must be received in writing by December 20, 2007. No refunds will be issued after January 5, 2008.
Thai-Burma Border Trip
The EWC is organizing a three-day pre-conference trip to experience Thailand outside of the bustling capitol city. This excursion requires an additional participation fee, separate from the conference registration. Click here to download the excursion registration form (MS Word document).
Registration deadline is November 12, 2007. See registration form for excursion pricing.
If you need more information please write to us at media-alumni@eastwestcenter.org.
Life on the Border: January 17-20, 2008
This excursion will look at migrants, illegal workers and refugees who have crossed the Thai border from Burma and elsewhere. The tour will start in Mae Sot, a frontier town on the Thai-Burma border where the majority of the population is ethnic Karen from Burma. Issues that can be explored include migrant factory workers, refugee camps, child soldiers, trafficking of drugs and people, backpack medics and health clinics that serve these communities. The group will then travel by van to Chiang Mai, where a number of NGOs and others serving these communities are located. The charming and historic Chiang Mai is also famous for its night market, and there will be time for shopping.
Included: Bangkok–Mae Sot and Chiang Mai-Bangkok airfare; one lunch; hotel accommodations (single or double occupancy); ground transportation in and around Mae Sot and onward to Chiang Mai for group meetings and activities; English-speaking guide; one-way airport-hotel transfer from Bangkok Airport to Novotel Siam Square on January 20 (guests staying at other hotels will be responsible for their own transportation from the Novotel Siam Square)
Minimum number of registrants: 10 Maximum number of registrants: 18