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News Xchange 2008
as of 31 March 2008 |
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In my first year as Executive Producer of NewsXchange I am delighted to have the opportunity to build on the success of my predecessors, John Owen and Edith Champagne, to maintain the high standards of past debates and keep the agenda relevant and of interest to all delegates. The Conference byword is 'for Broadcasters, by Broadcasters' and I hope that my twenty five years of working in international television news will serve in good stead as I begin to prepare the programme for Valencia.
Whilst most news coverage deals with the unexpected, this year there are two major scheduled events upon which we will be focussing - the American Election and Beijing Olympics - two Super Powers simultaneously under the media microscope. Also on the agenda, the turbulent world financial markets and how we cover them as well as a look at the growing trend towards celebrity and entertainment stories in our news bulletins.
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The US Election Campaign
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A year ago, John McCain's campaign was foundering, with worse-than-expected standing in the polls and negative press coverage. Today he is the new 'come-back kid' and the Republican Party's nominee, whilst Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama seem bent on battling it out until the Democratic Convention in August.
Already there are suggestions that the media has been soft on Obama and hard on Hillary. We plan a session which looks at the role of the media in shaping the campaign; how broadcasters and candidates alike are trying to court the young; the view from the campaign trail and the way in which the US networks use the latest technology and gadgets to keep viewers informed and up to date.
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The Beijing Olympics
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China has been planning carefully to prevent "inharmonious" elements from spoiling its 2008 Olympic Games, but despite efforts to quell worldwide criticism of its human rights record, the Government has cracked down on dissidents, censored international media coverage of the unrest in Tibet and plans to close access routes to Mount Everest to prevent disruption of the Olympic torch relay. The two week event is expected to attract half a million foreign visitors and vast international scrutiny.
he world's eyes turn to Beijing this summer – but how much will the 20,000 plus accredited media be allowed to see? Having anticipated and analysed the issues facing China's Olympic bid in the past two NewsXchanges, we plan to revisit the debate and see if we got it right and perhaps where we got it wrong.
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Business and Economic News
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Headlines this year have been dominated by problems in the world financial markets. We evaluate business coverage, where viewers may be influenced not only by the content of the news stories, but also by the way broadcasters report the workings of the business world.
We plan to look at how we make business and economic stories accessible and meaningful to our audience and explore the responsibility the media has in influencing consumer sentiment about the economy.
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Celebrity and Entertainment News
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Last year's NewsXchange session on the Top Ten News Stories was a revelation to many delegates. Few were surprised that the war in Iraq had the number one spot, but Harry Potter at number seven, with Madonna's adoption and Paris Hilton's jail term close behind, were concrete evidence - if ever we needed it - of the prominence of celebrity and entertainment stories in our daily news diet.
This year we will look at the cult of Celebrity and Entertainment News and ask how we cover these stories without falling victim or pandering to the world of spin, hype and PR.
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By popular demand, we will also be revisiting the 'Year in Coverage' to see the Top Ten most reported TV News stories and I am hoping that our agenda items covers at least five of those!
These are just a few of the topics and issues we plan to explore in Valencia. Please check back regularly as we will be adding and updating the sessions throughout the year.
My thanks to the Editorial Board and all of you who completed the Berlin Delegate Survey, particularly to those who offered to help shape this year's agenda. I have contacted many of you personally and welcome any suggestions or contributions you might have for making Valencia a rich and varied experience for us all. Working with me will be Helen Armitage, formerly of ZDF and ITN and we very much look forward to joining Amy, Colin and the rest of the team to make NewsXchange 2008 the news broadcaster's conference of the year. We hope to see you there!
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