MONTHLY NEWSLETTER I June 2017 Panelists Discuss the Future of Journalism and Mentorship With The Media Line INSIDE hosted to discuss the crucial link EVENT RECAP Event Recap: between policy and journalism Preview of ‘Letters by chad bouchard and to celebrate the agency’s Press From Baghdad’ 3 and Policy Student Program. The any journalists and Event Recap: program offers students studying media watchers have Screening of journalism, public policy or interna- voiced growing concern ‘Hell on Earth’ 4 M tional relations one- about the future of journalism in on-one mentorships, Event Recap: an era of constant challenges and Foreign Editors Circle GREGORY PARTANIO GREGORY either remote or Click here uncertainty. With diminishing trust by Michael Serrill 5 on-site in the to watch video in traditional media, sound reporting Felice Friedson, left, talks to Shirley from the event. Middle East with 6-8 dismissed as “fake news” and blatant and Arthur Sotloff. People Column The Media Line falsehoods passing for news content, news bureau’s veteran Press Freedom the information stream has been Update 9-10 cy covering the Middle East, told at- journalists. Selected students can polluted. tendees during a recent forum at the earn academic credit or pursue inde- “Many of us are disgusted when Q&A: OPC. “I tell you that our forefathers pendent study. Yaroslav Trofimov 11 we look at the media and try to un- would turn in their graves.” Former OPC President David derstand what is going on,” Felice 12 Friedson made her remarks on Andelman, who serves on the pro- New Books Friedson, president and CEO of The Tuesday, June 13 at an event that Media Line, an American news agen- the OPC and The Media Line co- Continued on Page 2 OPC Attends JPC Freedom of the Press Conference staff cuts and the closing of for- McClatchy, the Miami Herald and interaction with subscribers. EVENT RECAP eign news bureaus,” she said at and more than 100 other media They share notes and story ideas by patricia kranz the Jerusalem Press Club’s Second partners. and solicit tips and insights from International Conference on the Mayka Blok, media strategist readers. Blok lamented the power PC president Deidre Freedom of the Press on May 8-9. for De Correspondent, a member- of Facebook, which she claimed Depke told a crowd of in- Her panel was titled “Innovation funded Dutch news website, tweaks its algorithm frequently to ternational journalists that O and Press Freedom.” described how her company cre- divert readers from media web- there are reasons to be optimistic Depke pointed out that several ated a profitable business model sites to Facebook. “Facebook is about the future of journalism in OPC awards this year went to through crowd-sourcing and evil,” she said several times. the United States despite myriad journalists who received funding subscriptions. The site launched Giving the keynote speech challenges. from those non-profit groups. For in 2013 after raising $1.7 million was Carl Bernstein of Watergate “Partnerships between news example, the Malcolm Forbes in 30 days. Since then, the site has fame. outlets and non-profits like Award was bestowed on “The signed up more than 50,000 sub- GroundTruth, the Pultizer Center Panama Papers,” a massive global scribers who pay about $65 a year. OPC Executive Director and the International Consortium investigation of financial cor- More than 30 correspondents write Patricia Kranz also attended the of Investigative Journalists are ruption conducted by the ICIJ, in-depth stories based on reporting event in Jerusalem. v helping to fill the gap created by 1 1 gram’s Board of Professional money and technology will end up Advisers, helped to facilitate the determining what is on the air or event. what is published.” “Where are we today if we Kalb said despite these chal- Peter Yarrow don’t have a press that’s not just lenges, he remains optimistic in the PARTANIO GREGORY free but a press that’s reliable and light of passion and tenacity he sees responsible?” Friedson asked. in journalism’s next generation. at Columbia University with an to resonate in their hearts what it “The bottom line is that it’s about “It’s much more difficult for emphasis on Human Rights. is that’s being shared so that they being complete. That’s what we them now than it was for me in my Asaf Zilberfarb, a recent grad- come to a conclusion. We can’t teach our students.” time, but somehow or another I’m uate of Dartmouth College who have a democracy unless people Friedson said The Media Line absolutely persuaded that they are interned at The Media Line during can synthesize information.” has trained four dozen young stu- going to do it. They’re going to the rise of ISIS in 2014, said one Yarrow spoke about an or- dents with internships at the Jeru- pull it off, and we’re all going to of his first assignments was to ganization he co-founded called salem bureau over the last decade. be the better for it.” pose as a prospective ISIS joiner Operation Respect that seeks to During the event, she an- During the program, Friedson from London, using social media tackle bullying and bolster self- nounced the launch of the distance interviewed three alums of the to approach recruiters to see how esteem. More than a decade ago, learning partnership with six uni- program who worked at The Me- far he could get. the group launched an educational versities around the world, where dia Line bureau. “We got pretty far,” he said. program and curriculum called students are paired with mentors Liana B. Baker, who is cur- (“Too far,” added Friedson.) “We Don’t Laugh at Me, which has remotely in The Media Line’s rently a business journalist at were contacted by a lot of people been disseminated in schools Middle East bureau to help them Reuters covering mergers and ac- and it really provided us with a across the globe, including many shape and strengthen stories. The quisitions, recalled the early days lot of insight as to how this kind in the Middle East. The program Media Line recently wrapped up of her internship in 2006, when of movement and flow of people expanded after an op-ed written a pilot program at Florida Atlantic the Lebanon War was dominating happens, and how easy it is, and by Felice Friedson alerted the US University. Other partners include headlines. how surveillance doesn’t really Embassy to the program which the the Middle East Studies Depart- “You had me look at some exist in the virtual space, at least embassy ultimately sponsored, a ment at King’s College in London, of the sectarian strife in Lebanon not then.” development that Friedson points Al-Quds University in the Pal- and how there’s different sects of Zilberfarb, who speaks Arabic, out illustrates the link between estinian territories as well as the Muslims and Christians. I wrote spent much of his time translating media and policy. The program University of Houston, University sort of an explainer, and that was a local newspapers. He spoke about is now in 60 percent of Israeli of Denver and University of Mi- whole new subject for me. That’s following the range of coverage schools and preparing to launch in ami, with about 50 more currently where [The Media Line] is really and angles across Arabic media the Palestinian territories. Yarrow discussing partnerships. great,” she said, “finding the sto- on a single story, like the boycott also performed the song Weave In introducing the program, ries in the Middle East that no one of Qatar. Me the Sunshine, and led a sing- writer and media consultant Neil else is covering. Where else could “One of the things I learned along with attendees. Berro lauded The Media Line’s you read an explainer on groups in from Michael [Friedson] and Friedson then spoke with “commitment to an honest broker- Lebanon?” Felice and the other people in the Arthur and Shirley Sotloff, the ing to find the truth, to work with Baker was attending North- newsroom is this idea that there parents of Steven Sotloff, an people of all sides.” western University at the time of isn’t a single truth. It’s about American journalist who was held During introductory remarks, her internship. completeness. It’s about providing hostage by ISIS for a year before long-time The Media Line adviser Katie Beiter, who worked in different narratives to the same he was brutally killed in August Marvin Kalb, Edward R. Murrow the Middle East, wrote a total of story. And that couldn’t be more 2014. Steven filed stories for The professor at Harvard and senior about 50 stories for The Media important than political work and Media Line while working in the fellow at the Joan Shorenstein Line during her stint there after in policy work,” Zilberfarb said. Middle East, and was in close Center on the Press, Politics and studying at Rice University, a file He will take the press to policy contact with Friedson in the days Public Policy, addressed journal- that Friedson said works out to an paradigm to economics at Ernst before his disappearance. ism’s rapidly changing landscape average of about one story every Young. She said Steven was frustrated and the effect of financial pressure day. Peter Yarrow, renowned singer that news agencies would not on the quality of reporting. “I joke with Felice that I from the folk trio Peter, Paul and publish his reporting on the devel- “Everywhere you turn today racked up quite the international Mary, spoke about the crucial link opment of ISIS in Libya, and yet the idea of the internet is central phone bill, and I had a permanent between policy and journalism.