AUSTIN, Texas—World-renowned journalists will explore the challenges of frontline reporting and examine media coverage of war and conflict in the digital age during a conference Tuesday and Wednesday (Nov. 4-5) in the Frank Erwin Center at The University of Texas at Austin.
“Reshaping the Coverage of Conflict: Journalists at War” is sponsored by the School of Journalism at The University of Texas at Austin, the university’s Center for American History (home to the Institute of American News Media History) and “The Digital Journalist,” a monthly online magazine for visual journalism.
While admission to the conference is free of charge, tickets are being issued and are available from the School of Journalism, CMA 6.144, (phone 512-471-1845); The Center for American History, SRH 2.101, (phone 512-495-4515); and Precision Camera, 3810 N. Lamar Blvd., (phone 512-467-7676). Tickets also will be available at the Frank Erwin Center the first day of the event.
During the two-day symposium, the journalists—many of whom covered the recent war with Iraq—will share their perspectives and experiences with war reporting. They will discuss the challenges of reporting from the battlefield, how their work affects public opinion, the merits of the embed system and their relationship with the troops and civilians.
The symposium also will examine the single biggest change for journalists reporting modern warfare—the emergence of digital technologies, such as satellite phones and digital video cameras. The public’s demand for information has forced news outlets to use these new communication technologies to provide more information and visual images, raising questions about ethics of this real-time reporting.
The first day of the conference will feature print and electronic journalists, including Southwest correspondent John Burnett of National Public Radio; Leroy Sievers, executive producer of ABC Nightline; Jenny Matthews, author of “Women In War”; Ron Martz, military affairs correspondent for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution; and Sig Christenson, military writer for the San Antonio Express-News. Chris Allbritton, the Web’s first independent war correspondent sent to Iraq through his readers’ support, also will participate.
The second day will be devoted to photojournalism and feature Pulitzer Prize winner David Turnley and his brother Peter Turnley, who covered the war as independent photojournalists for the Denver Post; Ron Haviv with the agency VII, author of “The Road to Kabul”; and David Leeson and Cheryl Diaz Meyer of The Dallas Morning News.
Peter Howe, contributing editor to The Digital Journalist and author of “Shooting Under Fire,” will serve as host/moderator for the second day of the event. In the evening, producer Kathy Eldon will present her documentary, “Dying To Tell The Story,” which traces her efforts to come to terms with the death of her son, Dan, a photojournalist killed in Somalia.
For more information contact: Lorraine Branham, School of Journalism, 512-471-1845, or Robert D. Meckel, Office of Public Affairs, 512-475-7847.
