Cultures in Conflict: Navigating Cultural Difference in International Human Rights Reporting

press release: A group of award-winning journalists will visit Madison in February to attend a University of Wisconsin-Madison conference on ethics in human rights reporting.

The conference, titled “Cultures in Conflict: Navigating Cultural Difference in International Human Rights Reporting,” addresses themes of international press freedom, representation of sources, safety in the field, and cultural difference. It is scheduled for Feb. 9-10, 2018.

Most of the journalists participating in the conference are current or former international correspondents. They have reported for dozens of major U.S. and international outlets, including the Guardian, Reuters, the New York Times, the Washington Post, National Public Radio, the Boston Globe, Newsday, CBS, BBC World Service, Czech Radio and USA Today.

Headlining the two-day event are veteran journalists Lulu Garcia-Navarro, host of NRP’s Weekend Edition Sunday, and Sheila Coronel, co-founder of the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism and Dean of Academic Affairs at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism. They will speak on Friday, Feb. 9 and Saturday, Feb. 10, respectively.

“We are extremely excited about the lineup for this conference,” Lindsay Palmer, conference convener and UW-Madison assistant professor of Global Media Ethics, said. “These presenters have an immeasurable amount of combined experience, and we look forward to learning from them.”

USA TODAY’s Managing Editor for World News and UW-Madison alumnus Owen Ullmann will speak on a Friday panel. Ullmann received his master’s degree in journalism from UW-Madison and went on to cover the White House, foreign affairs, economics and political campaigns.  

“I am eager to learn about subconscious biases we bring to cover international events and how we can be more sensitive to cultural differences among countries,” Ullmann said. “I want to share my experience as a foreign editor who has worked with correspondents around the world on stories involving many different cultures and societal values.”

The conference schedule includes two keynote presentations and five thematic panels. In addition to the presentations, there is time incorporated for small group discussions, which Palmer hopes will stimulate local discussion about global issues.

“Many of the international conference themes have roots in local perceptions and experiences,” Palmer said. “These are important conversations to be having in our increasingly globalized world.”

The February conference is free and open to the public, though registration is required. To learn more and register, visit culturesinconflict.wisc.edu.

The conference is sponsored by the Institute for Regional and International Studies (IRIS) and the School of Journalism and Mass Communication. The event is made possible with additional support from the African Studies Program, Center for Russia, East Europe, and Central Asia (CREECA), Center For Southeast Asian Studies (CSEAS), Middle East Studies Program, Center for Journalism Ethics and the Anonymous Fund.