Romanian-American Workshop Co-Organized by the Center for Research in Communication

The workshop Media Changes, Public Information, and Public Responsibility was organized at the National School of Public and Administrative Studies on Tuesday, May 11, and Wednesday, May 12. The workshop was organized by the Center for Research in Communication at the College of Communication and Public Relations, in collaboration with the James M. Cox International Center for Mass Communication Training and Research, at University of Georgia, USA.

Two days of workshop brought together researchers and media professionals from both countries that debated, with their guest topics related to media responsibilities, media trends, perspective in mass communication, public responsibility, administrative reform etc.

The first session was open by the rector of the National School of Public and Administrative Studies, and director of the Center for Research in Communication, Dr. Paul Dobrescu, who gave a welcome speech, outlining the importance of debating topics of major impact in today society.

In first panel Dr. Remus Pricopie, the dean of the College of Communication and Public Relations, and Dr. Lee B. Becker, director of the Cox International Center, introduced two topics, first related to the concept of policy dialog and second to the role played by the new media in the context of major changes in journalism and mass communication. The panel was moderated by Dr. Mălina Ciocea, senior lecturer at the College of Communication and Public Relations. The keynote speakers and their guests, print and broadcast journalists, government and nongovernmental communicators debated the topics, focusing on the future perspectives in both media and public communication fields.

The second panel had as keynote speakers Owen Ullmann, deputy managing editor at USA Today, and Mihai Gâdea, executive director at Antena 3. They invited the audience to debate the future of newspapers, and the future of television, in the context of the emergence of online press. A rich dialog with the audience permitted a discussion about major trends in both print and broadcasting media, from the perspective of economic and ethic points of view, as well as an outline of cultural differences between American and Romanian media contexts. The panel was moderated by Dr. Elena Negrea, assistant professor at the College of Communication and Public Relations.

After the lunch break, Barbara Cochran, President Emeritus of Radio-Television News Directors Association, and Dr. Mircea Toma, Director of Monitoring Agency Active Watch talked about broadcasting news and media regulations. Barbara Cochran debated with the audience the future of broadcasting news and current trends in audio-visual media. Dr. Mircea Toma also presented the latest FreeEx report, just released by Active Watch agency, and covering press freedom in Romania. The panel was moderated by Alina Dolea, assistant professor at the College of Communication and Public Relations.

The last panel of the first day presented topics related to press freedom measurements and media responsibility during election campaigns. Dr. Tudor Vlad, associate director of the James M. Cox International Center for Mass Communication Training and Research, and Dr. Nicoleta Corbu, executive director of the Center for Research in Communication, and Mădălina Boţan, researcher in the Center for Research in Communication presented the findings of two research projects they conducted recently. Dr. Vlad discussed with the audience the measurements of press freedom that three major international agencies (IREX, Reporters without Borders and Freedom house) report annually. Nicoleta Corbu and Mădălina Boţan debated the responsibility of media, and especially of television channels, during the 2009 Romanian presidential campaign. The panel was moderated by Dr. Elena Negrea, assistant professor at the College of Communication and Public Relations.

The second day of the workshop was dedicated to both professors and graduate and undergraduate students, and covered topics such as gender and ethnic diversity in the newsroom, hypercompetition in media markets, the watchdog function of the press, and limits of audience research, presented by the American keynote speakers: Barbara Cochran, Tudor Vlad, Owen Ullmann, and Lee B. Becker.

The last panel of the second day and the highlight of the workshop focused on covering American presidents. John Cochran, ABC News correspondent, Owen Ulmann, deputy managing editor at USA Today, and Barbara Cochran, President Emeritus of Radio-Television News Directors Association had covered together ten American presidents during their carriers as journalists. They presented an overview of what does it mean to be a journalist at the White House, as well as various stories about communicating with different American presidents. The audience played an important role in animating the discussions. Dr. Tudor Vlad, associate director of Cox International Center moderated the debate.

The workshop gathered together in the two days researchers, communicators and media professionals who debated the major issues of institutional and media communication.

Echoes in media here.