The third and final Global Inter-Media Dialogue was held in Bali from 7 to 8 May 2008, and was a great success. 125 journalists and editors from 61 different countries participated.
12/06/2008 :: The dialogue was initiated in the wake of the cartoon controversy in 2006, and has been arranged jointly by Indonesia and Norway. The theme and agenda for the dialogue has been decided by a working group made up of Indonesian and Norwegian editors and journalists and representatives from key international and Norwegian media organisations.
This year, the theme was “Ethical Journalism in Extreme Conditions: the Challenge of Diversity”. Aidan White, General Secretary of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), presented the Ethical Journalism Initiative, which has been developed alongside the dialogue process. Topics included the changing media landscape, the increasing impact of regional media, reporting from conflict areas, and reporting on and by minorities. “Global happenings” discussed working conditions for journalists in China in the year of the Olympics, the so-called “war on terror” and the problems this causes for journalists, was also on the programme. As was media coverage of inconvenient truths such as climate change, natural disasters and poverty.
The third Global Intermedia Dialogue was opened by the Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hassan Wirajuda, and State Secretary Wegard Harsvik from the Norwegian Ministry of Culture and Church Affairs. The participants were from a broad range of media, including the International Herald Tribune, the BBC, Al Jazeera, The Guardian, the AFP, Metro TV, Nile TV, Tempo and Der Spiegel, a blogger from China, federations of journalists in Afghanistan, Russia and Hong Kong, the Turan news agency in Azerbaijan, the East African and the Sunday Times Sri Lanka.
Indonesian and Norwegian authorities encouraged the participants to continue the cooperation, take new initiatives and suggest cooperation projects based on ideas put forward under the dialogue. A steering group, made up of Elisabeth Eide from the University and University College of Oslo, Jim Tucker from the Whitireia School of Journalism in New Zealand, Bambang Harymurti from Tempo and Aidan White from the IFJ, has taken on this task. Several cooperation projects have already been initiated and the network established between the participants is working very well.