| TUESDAY OCTOBER 21: DAY ONE |
| 0900-0915 |
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WELCOMING ADDRESS BY W PATERSON FERNS, COO, BANFF TELEVISION FOUNDATION |
| 0915-0945 |
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KEYNOTE SPEECH |
| 0945-1100 |
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THE NEWS WORLD INQUIRY
A major investigation into coverage of the war in Iraq and its aftermath, conducted by an inquiry panel gathering evidence from the reporters, technicians, editors, politicians and combatants most closely involved.
Section One: Embed with the enemy. Was the embedding of reporters designed to enable or disable their freedom of movement? Either way, are they here to stay? And were the unilateral better placed, or in the wrong place?
Section Two: Centcom or Centcon? The information centre at Doha was the largest and most sophisticated PR operation ever set up by the military. But why was the relationship between briefers and reporters often marred by mutual suspicion, and what can be done in future to improve the flow of useful information?
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| 1100-1130 |
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COFFEE |
| 1130-1300 |
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THE NEWS WORLD INQUIRY
Section Three: Pulling focus. No war in history was filmed by so many cameras from so many places as the conflict in Iraq. But did the torrent of images make it more difficult, rather than more easy, for both editors and viewers to decide what was really happening? And if the image overload provided constant fodder for 24 hour news channels, did it also make viewers more thankful for the concise nightly bulletin?
Section Four: Dipping into the Pool. A reporter has resigned after filing a fake pool report from Iraq, and many others saw their footage downplayed by rival news organisations anxious to protect their brand image. Are these hazards that render the pool system irrelevant? And what did smaller, neutral, news organisations, who deployed far fewer correspondents in Iraq, make of the predominantly British and US footage they were obliged to use?
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| 1300-1430 |
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LUNCH |
| 1430-1600 |
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THE NEWS WORLD INQUIRY
Section Five: The Safety Catch. Every major news organisation on the planet takes hostile environment training seriously, and journalists going into harm's way have never been better or more thoroughly equipped to look after themselves. Yet no war has claimed the lives of so many journalists in so short a time as the Iraq conflict. Are there lessons to be learned for the future, or must we accept that as more reporters go to war, the death toll will continue to rise?
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| 1600-1630 |
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COFFEE |
| 1630-1730 |
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DON'T MENTION THE WAR
A first day diversion for the battle weary.
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| WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 22: DAY TWO |
| 0915-1100 |
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BRAND IT LIKE BECKHAM: THE SEARCH FOR LOW-COST NEWS
Middle American girls who have never seen a football kicked in anger know as much about David Beckham as the most hysterical Real Madrid fan - possibly more, thanks to the massive growth of celebrity news across every popular medium. Are editors seeing stars because the public can't get enough of the super rich and passingly famous, or is this news on the cheap, screened at the expense of more costly stories? And who decides who's famous - the media or the image makers? |
| 1100-1130 |
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COFFEE |
| 1130-1300 |
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HEALTH NEWS COVERAGE: THE SARS SENSATION
The SARS epidemic claimed fewer lives than the average year's death toll from influenza, yet media reaction to it brought travel and trade across Asia to a virtual standstill and cost the Canadian tourist industry a 30% drop in revenue. Do journalists understand enough about medical matters to make a proper judgement when new diseases strike, and do governments do enough, soon enough, to alert the public? Is there a tendency to overstate the danger of new diseases to compensate for what is now seen as the failure to take the Aids crisis seriously? Or does the blanket coverage help prevent the spread of diseases which might otherwise have much worse consequences? |
| 1130-1300 |
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TECHNOLOGY CASE STUDIES: FORGET THE TANKS, DID THE KIT WORK?
The war in Iraq might have been what much of leading edge news technology was invented for. This break-out session examines how the most significant equipment stood up to such a demanding test - and also the demands it made of the people using it.
NB: This session will take place in The Elgin Room. |
| 1300-1430 |
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LUNCH |
| 1400-1530 |
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TECHNOLOGY DEBATE: CONVERGENCE
The material coming out of many newsrooms now is often the work of one man or woman, trained to act as reporter, editor and camera operator. Multi-skilling has clearly helped smaller news organisations compete and survive, but has it lowered the quality of broadcast journalism, and is there still a role for the old style specialist? |
| 1530-1600 |
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COFFEE |
| 1600-1730 |
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DOCUMENTARY MASTERCLASS: AL JAZEERA FROM THE INSIDE
A chance to strip away the confusion and suspicion that often surrounds the controversial Arab language news channel, with a screening of a revealing BBC documentary on a day in the life of Al Jazeera to be followed by a live discussion with editor-in-chief Ibrahim Helal. |
| 1830-2030 |
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REUTERS RECEPTION
Including the News World Mohamed Amin, Documentary and Life Achievement Awards.
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| THURSDAY OCTOBER 23: DAY THREE |
| 0915-1100 |
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NATIONALISM AND BIAS - DO NEWS ORGANISATIONS HAVE TO BE IMPARTIAL ANY MORE?
War brings out the best and worst in broadcast news. Every accusation of flag waving jingoism can be matched by allegations that cynical news organisations deliberately undermine both government policy and military morale - and it is not only in times of conflict that governments cry foul whenever the broadcast media are thought to have strayed from the straight and narrow. But as such stony impartiality has never been expected of newspapers, and the number of terrestrial, satellite and online news outlets are growing fast, is it time for broadcasters to be allowed the same freedom of opinion as their print press rivals? |
| 1100-1130 |
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COFFEE |
| 1130-1300 |
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WHO SAYS THERE'S A RIGHT TO KNOW?
Western journalists consider their right to the truth a central plank of the profession, but is it always wrong for governments and institutions to declare that other factors may legitimately deny full disclosure? Is there any way both sides can agree on a code of compromise, or will media certainty and political secrecy continue to create a climate of mutual distrust? |
| 1230-1400 |
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LUNCH |
| 1400-1600 |
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THE NEWS WORLD DEBATE: ISLAM v THE REST
News World 2003 closes with a major examination of the greatest challenge facing the world today - the widening chasm between the world of Islam and what it increasingly sees as the forces ranged against it. Does the Western media treat its Islamic viewers with the same understanding and respect it shows its own non-Islamic constituency, or instinctively regard all Muslims as potential terrorists? And does the Islamic media make any attempt to explain Western values to its readers and viewers or simply reinforce their growing fears and prejudice? |
| 1600 |
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DRINKS ON NEWS WORLD IN THE BAR |