Cal Poly Journalism Professor Organizes Ethics Forum in Bhutan
Cal Poly Journalism Professor Teresa Allen is the co-organizer of an April 2012 media ethics conference conducted by the Center for International Media Ethics (CIME) and the Bhutan Media Institute.
Titled “A New Era of Socio-Economic Responsibility for Journalists in Bhutan and Beyond,” the conference will bring together journalists from India, Nepal, Pakistan and the U.S. who will join their Bhutanese colleagues in the capital city of Thimphu for panel discussions and training on ethical issues. Allen, an advisory board member of CIME, will lead a post-conference training seminar for local journalists on media writing and reporting online.
Since Bhutan’s move to democracy in 2008, the country’s media outlets have grown to nine newspapers, five magazines, a television station (with others planned), five private FM radio stations, and a growing film industry. Additional media outlets are expected to quickly emerge under the new freedom.
“Today Bhutanese journalists, similar to media members around the world, face both new and sometimes overwhelming challenges -- especially with regard to ethical decision- making -- as they grapple with the impact of the Internet on journalism and the speed in which information travels the globe,” Allen said. “The conference will address this issue.”
Allen has helped arrange sponsorships to support the conference. SAGE Publications Inc. contributed $5,000 to help cover the costs of bringing speakers and reporters to that remote corner of the world, bordered by India, China and Nepal. Dow Jones-Asia provided advertising space valued at more than $13,000 to publicize the conference in The Wall Street Journal and its Asia affiliates. Members of the Cal Poly Journalism Department Advisory Board have also contributed to the conference.
“It’s a very worthy cause, and we’re happy to contribute,” said Tracey A. Ozmina, executive vice president of SAGE Publications. “This conference aligns with SAGE's commitment to the dissemination of teaching and research on a global scale, and we are pleased to support the efforts of CIME and Professor Allen in Bhutan.”
Harvey Levenson, interim chair of Cal Poly’s Journalism Department, said, “What Professor Allen did is the type of outreach that places Cal Poly on the map as an international player in the journalism profession. The conference will help develop a world view on the important topic of ethics.”
For more information, contact Professor Teresa Allen.
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About The Center for International Media Ethics
CIME is an independent, international, nonprofit organization founded on the premise that journalists should take a pro-active role in affirming a tacit code of ethics within the profession. CIME seeks to provide journalists -- both beginning and veterans of the profession -- with classes, forums and other resources devoted to ethical training and decision-making.
About Cal Poly’s Journalism Department
The department offers a professional program leading to a Bachelor of Science degree in journalism with emphases in broadcasting, multimedia, news-editorial and public relations. Journalism majors serve as staff members of departmental communications media, including the Mustang Daily, the student newspaper; CCPR, the student-run public relations firm; KCPR, the FM-stereo radio station; and the news and programming operations of CPTV, Cal Poly’s TV station. The department also sponsors student chapters of the Society of Professional Journalists, Radio-Television News Directors Association, and the Public Relations Student Society of America. The department has thousands of alumni, many of whom hold important positions in print, broadcast, and public relations journalism for state and national organizations.