On February 3, 2009, USIP's Center of Innovation for Media, Conflict and Peacebuilding joined the Independent Television Service (ITVS) to convene Media as Global Diplomat, a day-long conference that brought together many of the top thinkers in U.S. public diplomacy and strategic communication with independent film and media producers to identify innovative paths forward in the increasingly important effort to improve mutual understanding between the United States and other countries through communication and media. An online archive of the event was created to serve as a valuable resource for the day’s events. Users can watch video of the entire day’s proceedings, as well as review supporting materials and other information.
On February 3, 2009, USIP joined International Television Service (ITVS) to convene Media as Global Diplomat, a day-long conference that brought together many of the top thinkers in U.S. public diplomacy and strategic communication with independent film and media producers to identify innovative paths forward in the increasingly important effort to improve mutual understanding between the United States and other countries through communication and media.
This pages serves as a valuable online archive of the day’s events. Users can watch video of the entire day’s proceedings, as well as review supporting materials and other information.
Media as Global Diplomat was moderated by veteran newsman Ted Koppel and met at Washington, D.C.’s Newseum, a cutting-edge interactive museum dedicated to news and communication in the 21st Century.
Speakers at the event included Kathy Bushkin Calvin of the United Nations Foundation, Ambassador Edward Djerejian of the Baker Institute, Abderrahim Foukara of Al Jazeera International, former Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs James Glassman, Andrew McLaughlin of Google, James Zogby of the Arab American Institute, Carol Giacomo of The New York Times and others.
From its inception, Media as Global Diplomat was meant to be an inclusive event – inclusive of multiple stakeholders, inclusive of disparate perspectives, and inclusive of audience participation from around the globe. The organizers met that goal in part by coordinating the participation of nearly two-dozen bloggers around the world who write on international affairs, public diplomacy and other issues. Many other participants stayed involved by using the popular online technology Twitter. Together, these blogs and tweets joined the voices of nearly 300 participants at the Newseum to create a robust and diverse conversation.
This report summarizes this day-long summit that explored the topic in a global dialogue through interactive panels, videoconferencing, a documentary screening, and the participation of bloggers from around the world to find recommendations for the new administration to reengage the world with a public diplomacy strategy adapted to the digital age. This is a joint publication of USIP and ITVS (www.itvs.org [2]). Support for ITVS Global Perspectives Project provided by The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the Ford Foundation, and The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.
Links:
[1] http://www.usip.org/programs/initiatives/media-global-diplomat#
[2] http://www.usip.org/pubs/specialreports/www.itvs.org