Perspectives:Asia | Role of press freedom as a pillar for democracy

Perspectives:Asia | Role of press freedom as a pillar for democracy
Perspectives:Asia | Role of press freedom as a pillar for democracy

The Griffith Asia Institute and the Australian Centre of Asia-Pacific Art (ACAPA),
Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA)

would like to invite you to an online in-conversation

Global press freedom is at one of its lowest points with restrictions placed on the media on the rise in a number of countries. The recent politically motivated charge and "cyber libel' conviction of Maria Ressa, CEO of Rappler and Reynaldo Santos Jr. former Rappler reporter by a Philippines court is a case in point. Such conditions used to the be the scope of authoritarian regimes, however recent developments show that the practice is spreading to both new and established democracies. These worrying trends need to be taken seriously as threats to media freedom risk undermining not only faith in journalism and the media but also eroding the pillars of democracy and the trust that people place in it.

Join us for an in-conversation, chaired by Stefan Armbruster as we look at the changes in press freedoms in our region specifically Australia, the Pacific and South East Asia.

Marites Danguilan Vitug has been a journalist for more than three decades and is one of the Philippines' most accomplished journalists. A bestselling author, Marites has written eight books on Philippine current affairs. She is the former editor of Newsbreak, a pioneering political magazine and currently is editor at large of Rappler. Marites is currently fighting two libel suits filed against her by a sitting justice of the Supreme Court of The Philippines.

Professor Peter Greste spent 25 years as a foreign correspondent and is a founding member of the advocacy group, the Alliance for Journalists Freedom. He is a regular contributor to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, The Australian, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Conversation, and The Guardian. He spent 400 days behind bars under terrorism charges in Egypt and is the winner of many awards including a Peabody Award, Walkley Award, Royal Television Society and Tribeca Disruptive Innovator's.

Scott Waide is the Lae bureau chief of EMTV News and has been a media professional for more than 19 years. He has worked as a producer and researcher for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's Port Moresby Bureau. Scott is also a recipient of multiple awards including an Asia Pacific Broadcasting Union Prize, Pacific News Association Awards and the Divine World University Media freedom Award. He was suspended after airing a story critical of the PNG government spending in late 2018 and was reinstated by broadcaster EMTV following widespread public backlash.

Stefan Armbruster is an award-winning correspondent for SBS World News, covering Queensland and Pacific since 2007, and an Industry Fellow with the Griffith Asia Institute. Starting at Brisbane's public radio 4ZZZ-fm, a "journalist attachment' at the Fiji Broadcasting Commission led to a decade working overseas based in London with Dow Jones, CNBC Europe and the BBC. He is a federal council member of Australia's union for journalists MEAA.

Thursday 16 July 2020, 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm

Live webcast via ZOOM

RSVP by Wednesday 15 July 2020


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RSVP on or before Wednesday 15 July 2020 , by email events-gai@griffith.edu.au , or by phone 07 37355322 , or via http://events.griffith.edu.au/d/k7q73h/4W

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