The News Xchange 2011 event took place in Cascais, Portugal from 2-4 November, with host broadcaster RTP helping to make it one of the most successful conferences in our rich 10-year history.

With a record-setting 441 delegates from 56 countries present, we focused on stories and storytelling: the stories of the year - the Arab Spring and the Japan earthquake, with an exceptional presentation from Takehiko Kusaba of NHK. We heard from the storytellers who change the world -- from One Day on Earth to the favelas of Rio, from stories about heroes to nightmarish scenes from Mexico, arguably one of the most dangerous places in the world for journalists today. We welcomed one of CNN's leading international journalists, Hala Gorani, who shared stories from her insider position in one of the world's largest news organizations.

Then we turned our attention to the craft of journalism and the issues of physical safety as well as the risks -- and rewards -- of social media to the profession. With cocktails in hand, we talked about the role of satire in attracting audiences. We looked at case studies: CCTV and its plans to grow audiences globally and TV2 Norway's Skole program for bringing in younger viewers. We debated the future of the industry and decided, by a large majority, that journalism will prevail over innovation; i.e., ultimately it is the craft that leads. We talked about the opportunities from tablet devices and debated whether the answer lies in apps or HTML5. Or both. And we sat spellbound as world-famous artist and environmentalist Chris Jordan shared his vision for the power of visual storytelling.