Media Release 4 May 2016
 |
| MEDIA RELEASE | 4 May 2016 |
| APC 40th Anniversary Conference on Press Freedom Underway |
| The Australian Press Council's 40th Anniversary Conference on Press Freedom kicked off today in Sydney, with some 150 delegates applauding a powerful keynote address from Russian journalist Anna Nemtsova - the reigning Courageous Journalist of the Year - on "Press freedom and other matters of life and death". |
| To help celebrate the Australian Press Council's 40th Anniversary and its proud history of promoting press freedom and high standards of media practice, the Council is hosting a major international conference in Sydney. |
| Key themes of the two-day conference include: |
|
Click here here for the full conference program. |
| Click here here for more information about the Council's 40th Anniversary events. |
| "The purpose of this conference is both to reflect upon the dynamic transformation of the media landscape over the past 40 years - driven by technology, globalisation, competition and social change," said Council Chair Prof David Weisbrot. "It will also help the industry engage in strategic thinking about how best to maintain high standards of journalistic practice and to continue to play its critical role as the Fourth Estate, holding governments, business and other powerful interest to account." |
| In 1976, when the Australian Press Council was founded by a group of newspaper editors in an effort to self-regulate, the Internet did not exist, reporters did not have smart phones, filing stories from the field was an onerous task, and international news coverage was expensive and often slow. There was no 24-hour news cycle. |
| In this rapid-fire global environment, where anyone with a smart phone can be a "journalist" and any journalist's report is available virtually everywhere, there are some fundamental questions to be addressed by panellists and delegates. |
| How can editors meet the demands of fragmenting audiences, global competition, falling revenues and reduced resources decreased staffing while still publishing high quality material? What are the forces imperilling freedom of the press and investigative journalism? What is the proper role of press councils in all of this? |
| For more information about the APC's 40th Anniversary Conference or to arrange interviews with the Council's Chair or any of the speakers, contact the Director of Research and Communications by email at michael.rose@presscouncil.org.au or by telephone: 0451 978 2876 |
  |
| Australian Press Council Address: Level 6, 309 Kent St, Sydney, 2000 Phone: (02) 9261 1930 or 1800 025 712 Fax: (02) 9267 6826 Email: info@presscouncil.org.au Web: http://www.presscouncil.org.au |
