Alfred Friendly Press Partners Kicks off 30th Anniversary Activities
For Immediate Release: November 12, 2012
Contact: Katie Rudolph, krudolph[at]presspartners[dot]org
Join the Alfred Friendly Press Partners on Nov. 13 for the seminar
“300 Journalists and 30 Years of Global Journalism Excellence”
COLUMBIA, MO – On Tuesday, November 13, Alfred Friendly Press Partners will celebrate three decades of an extraordinary exchange of knowledge and bonds between journalists in emerging nations around the world. Since 1983, the organization has trained and placed more than 300 international journalists – from 78 countries – in U.S. newsrooms for six-month fellowships promoting the importance of a free press.
The milestone will be marked at a seminar, “300 Journalists and 30 Years of Global Journalism Excellence,” from 7 – 8:30 p.m. at the University of Missouri, Reynolds Journalism Institute, Fred W. Smith Forum.
The 30th Anniversary session will honor our fellows, our new media partners and the remarkable changes that have occurred in journalism and in the world’s emerging nations since the inception of the Friendly Fellowship program in 1983. It will be hosted by Press Partners’ President Randall D. Smith, Missouri School of Journalism Donald W. Reynolds endowed chair of business journalism. Randy is also the co-director of the school’s Center for the Digital Globe.
The session is the first in a series designed to recognize the 30th Anniversary of the Alfred Friendly Press Partners.
Panelists will include: Jonathan Friendly, chairman of Alfred Friendly Press Partners, and Joseph Odindo, group editorial director of Nation Media Group in Nairobi, Kenya. Odindo is also a member of the Press Partners’ advisory board.
Odindo, will address the journalism and technological changes seen in Kenya and in particular and (East) Africa. “Mr. Odindo and the Nation Media newsrooms provide the ambitious, principled journalism that allow democracy to function intelligently,” said Jonathan Friendly. “He and they are model partners in our hope to inform and be informed by how news is gathered and distributed in these vibrant countries.”
Joining the discussion via Skype will be Press Partners Journalism Fellows Sameh Abdallah from Egypt hosted by The Detroit News in 1991, Faruq Faisel from Bangladesh hosted by TIME Magazine in 1990 and Larissa Roso from Brazil hosted by The Washington Post in 2011.
Former Friendly Fellows will discuss the impact of the training program on their journalism careers and offer ideas for the next generation of journalists who want to build free, energetic and responsible news operations in their countries.
Alfred Friendly Press Partners Mission: In the belief that just societies must have a vigorous and principled free press, Alfred Friendly Press Partners aims to build strong newsrooms that make possible an informed citizenry. We work to strengthen skills and values by placing talented international journalists in U.S. newsrooms and by establishing long-term training partnerships with news organizations that share our goal of fostering professional excellence.
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