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NX 2007, 25-26 October, Berlin, Germany
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In 2007, News Xchange held its sixth and largest conference, with over 460 delegates from 53 countries worldwide.
The conference opened with a challenging session on Russia, where a group of experts discussed whether the media gets the Russia story right. The predominant picture of Russia in Western media is that of a booming economy and political stability, marred by the odd dark spot of authoritarian rule. But is Russia really a healthy market economy? Or are we blinded by flashy wealth that has no foundation beyond the price per barrel? Are we doing a good job of reporting Russia?
Later that morning, we heard from Chris Cramer, global media consultant, on the need for news organizations to innovate or fail.
In the afternoon, NX turned its attention to Iran. As tensions between the US and Iran worsen, the drumbeats of war can once again be heard in Washington and in newsrooms. The question asked was: Are the news media ignoring or learning from the mistakes of Iraq? Contributors included Robert Greenwald, document filmmaker, Jon Snow, presenter for Channel 4 News, Michael Ledeen of the American Enterprise Institute, ABC News' Martha Raddatz and Hossein Derkhshan, Iranian blogger.
The final session of our first day was on Journalism Held Hostage. We were very lucky to have with us BBC correspondent Alan Johnston, who shared his own story in a very moving session. During the session we looked at lessons learned from Johnston's ordeal, as well as the murder of Afghan journalist Ajmal Naqshbandi. Do news organizations have policies in place to deal with hostage-taking? Is all publicity good publicity?
Our second day opened with a keynote speech from Dr. Norbert Lammert, Christian Democratic Union/Christian Social Union, President of the German Bundestag. Dr. Lammert challenged the delegates to think about the "marriage" between politics and media.
We then moved on to look at the effect of YouTube and Internet video on global politics. We asked ourselves, Are we witnessing the latest media and political fads or are new media tools truly indispensable for turning on younger and more engaged voters? Do they have the potential to threaten the existing political order in countries around the world?
Later that afternoon, we looked at Global Warming and its importance to media. Specifically, our distinguished panel and audience considered the question of what broadcasters can and should do to help reduce global warming and attract new and environmentally committed viewers. Together, we debated whether the media as a responsibility to give equal coverage to all sides of this story - that is, to climate change deniers and environmental crusaders alike?
Our final conference session looked ahead to the Beijing Olympics. Chaired by Kirstie Lu Stout of CNN International, the panel discussed China's biggest challenge: showing the international journalism communities that it can meet its commitments to the free flow of information and minimal restrictions on the press and media.
When our conference ended, it was clear that NX '07 once again gave media professionals from all corners of the globe a wonderful opportunity to exchange ideas, share experiences and challenge assumptions.
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About News Xchange
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The News Xchange has been created to provide broadcast news organizations
around the world with a first-class not-for-profit conference that is both
affordable and of relevance to broadcasters around the world.
Underwritten by Eurovision, the conference has received the support of the
70 members of the EBU's Eurovision News Exchange and the 29 members of
European News Exchange (ENEX), the co-operative of commercial broadcasters.
In addition, we are supported by the major international broadcast news
agencies and networks.
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