XXIII Congress of the Worldwide Association of Women Writers and Journalists
The Ethical Journalism Network’s Chair, Dorothy Byrne – the head of Channel 4 News and Current Affairs – will be speaking at the XXIII Congress of the Worldwide Association of Women Writers and Journalists. EJN Trustee, Zahera Harb, is one of the organisers.
When: 6-9 November 2018
Where: London
Who: Over 100 journalists from all over the world.
Topic: Diversity beyond gender: how do we use technology and new mediums to expand the voices in the media.
Tickets are FREE but you need to register on Eventbrite due to limited capacity. You can register to attend one day, or two or all of them.
Schedule: https://ammpeworld.com/en/schedule/
Telling the whole story; a complex world needs all its storytellers
The Worldwide Association of Women Journalists and Writers will hold its Congress in London, for the first time, in 2018. The event will coincide with the 100th anniversary of female suffrage in the UK.
The four-day event will focus on storytelling. With more women joining together to challenge norms of behaviour, it matters that women are amongst those telling the stories and deciding which stories and voices must be heard. The less diverse the storytellers, the less diverse the stories and the less informed our decisions will be. But what are the challenges for the digital age, for workplaces and for frontline reporting? And do women journalists and writers really have the power to influence and lead these changes?
The last Congress, held in Santiago in 2016, was attended by around 700 people from across the world and was opened by Chilean President Michelle Bachelet.
Under the presidency of Sarah Gibson, the team is now working together with the BBC, Google, the journalism faculties at City, University of London and the University of Kent, Women in Journalism, the Frontline Club, English Pen, City Hall, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), Clobal Alliance for Media and Gender (GAMAG) and other partners to hold four days of discussion, debate, workshops and visits in London and Kent.
We think that the topics being discussed at the Congress are relevant to everyone working in news and journalism and the events are open to all.
Day 1, Tuesday 6th November: Storytelling – why diversity matters
Hosted by the BBC, at New Broadcasting House. Celebrate the art of diverse storytelling, with guests from BBC News, Vogue International, gal-dem, Dialogue Books and many more. Day one of the Congress includes a keynote speech and panels on issues from frontline journalism and coping with trauma to increasing diversity and how to engage young audiences. Plus, you’ll have the opportunity to try out a unique virtual reality experience produced by the BBC on the suffragettes and their fight to win the vote for women. Lunch will be provided.
Day 2, Wednesday 7th November: Journalism emerging stories
Hosted by the Department of Journalism at City, University of London. Day two will feature both scholarly and professional contributions from across journalism academia and industry. Speakers will tackle issues related to understanding how and why journalism as a profession is changing. They will explore gender equality in the newsrooms and on screen, participatory journalism, literary journalism and how long-read formats help promote better journalism. Discussion panels on the future of freedom of speech in Europe and reporting the Middle East from within will tackle the challenges that face journalists operating in different political, cultural and economic contexts. Please note that lunch will not be provided on this day. There will be a drinks reception at the end of the day, sponsored by the Taiwanese Embassy.
In the evening there will be a screening of the film Invisible Battalion, charting the stories of Ukrainian women participating in the war. The screening will take place at the Frontline Club from 19:00. Discounted tickets will soon be available to Congress delegates directly from the Frontline Club.
Day 3, Thursday 8th November: Storytelling in a digital age
Hosted by Google at its new King’s Cross campus. Day three of the Congress focuses on how digital media is changing the way we tell stories and what digital audiences want. We’ll look at what the opportunities are and how to deal with some of the challenges digital media brings. There will be workshops throughout the day on virtual reality technologies and Google’s new investigative and verification tools. And we’ll explore how new technologies can help journalists tell stories differently, with a particular focus on innovation through workshops on virtual reality and investigative/verification tools. Lunch will be provided.
Day 4, Friday 9th November: Diversity beyond gender
Hosted by the University of Kent, at the Medway Campus. On day four we will investigate how to build a truly inclusive media by adding voices from different socio-economic backgrounds, why we should encourage collaborations with local media and more. There will also be a tour of Medway, Rochester, home and inspiration to the author Charles Dickens. Lunch will be provided on the day and there will be a drinks reception at the end of the day.
There is the option to either register for a ticket with transport provided, by coach from central London, or a ticket without transport, for those who are local to Kent.
FAQs
How can I contact the organiser with any questions?
If you have any questions at all, please feel free to contact us at [email protected] or send us a note through our website, here.
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