What is the Roundtable all about?

What is the Roundtable all about?

Most scholars and media professionals agree that globalization has been responsible for major transformations in the structures of media production and reception. As media worlds get rearranged, it has become necessary to focus on the ethical principles that underlie media practices and content around the world. The project of global media ethics has been to bring together and intellectually engage scholars, media professionals, and students from various regions and from varied theoretical perspectives. Most of our work is based on normative ethical principles focused on integrating local cultural and professional practices in our discussions of global ethics. The main focus of the Roundtable in March 2010 will be “Freedom and Responsibilities in Global Media Ethics.” Some suggested topics are (but not limited to): social responsibility of media, truth and accuracy, universal ethics, ethics and media globalization, economic, political, religious, and cultural factors influencing media ethics, new media and ethics, and codes of ethics.
The Global Media Ethics project is based loosely on the principle of the “Doha Debates” (sponsored by the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science & Community Development). The Doha Debates have been a unique venture, providing a battleground for conflicting opinions and arguments about the major political topics of the region. The Global Media Ethics Project hopes to provide such a platform and also form intellectual alliances with scholars and media professionals in the Middle East. The first Global Media Ethics Roundtable was held at Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa in March 15-17, 2007. The scholarly papers presented during the roundtable were published by Heinemann as an anthology titled, Media Ethics Beyond Borders: A Global Perspective (edited by Stephen Ward & Herman Wasserman) and republished by Routledge for the North American market. A similar book is being planned as an outcome of this meeting with the publisher chosen in consultation with the host University.
We are expecting each participant to present a research paper at the roundtable; unlike regular conferences where participants are allowed no more than 15-20 minutes for their presentations, this roundtable will allow participants an hour to present papers and lead discussion on their topic. Total number of participants will be approximately twelve.