CONFERENCE LATEST
Our conference in London from May 31st to June 2nd is starting to take shape, and we can reveal some early details of the program:
KEYNOTE SPEAKER: MARGARET SULLIVAN
ONO is delighted to announce that distinguished author, journalist and former New York Times Public Editor Margaret Sullivan will be coming to London to speak at the ONO Conference.
Ms Sullivan’s new book, Newsroom Confidential, is both a memoir of her extraordinary career and a challenging rallying cry on what modern journalism needs to do to reclaim public trust and fulfil its responsibilities to report on the big issues and hold the powerful to account.
One key theme in her book, which will be of great interest to ONO members, is the argument that journalism needs to reconsider and reinterpret traditional notions of objectivity to respond to the challenges of the modern world.
Margaret Sullivan is a highly experienced journalist, editor and author who was the Public Editor of the New York Times from 2012 to 2016 and Media Columnist for the Washington Post from 2016 to 2022. This year, she joined The Guardian as a US-based columnist writing on media, politics and culture.
Her speech will no doubt be a highlight of the ONO Conference.
While the full program is still being finalised, other speeches, panels and sessions already confirmed include:
COVERING THE UKRAINE WAR
We are busy organising a panel discussion featuring senior Ukrainian journalists from Kiev (at least one of whom we hope will be joining us in London) and Western reporters who have extensively covered the war, to talk about the challenges and editorial responsibilities of covering the war.
MASS SHOOTINGS
Journalism academic Glynn Greensmith has researched and written extensively on the media’s coverage of mass shootings, and has some firm conclusions and strong advice on what news outlets should and shouldn’t do.
He will be joining us in London to share his conclusions in a session that is bound to spark strong views.
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND JOURNALISM
ONO Member Andrew Cochran, who curates the authoritative website on this topic – https://journalismai.com/ – will be assembling a panel of experts to discuss both the latest advances and the underlying ethical challenges involved in the intersection between journalism and artificial intelligence.
MEDIA REGULATION
Senior leaders from two of the UK’s major media regulators – OFCOM and IPSO – have agreed to join us at the conference to discuss the challenges, the priorities and the processes involved in regulating modern news media. This will be a rare opportunity to hear directly from two bodies who have been deeply involved in some of the most challenging and complex editorial issues in the UK media landscape. OFCOM is the regulator that oversees broadcast media (including the BBC), while IPSO is the independent regulator of most of the UK’s newspapers and magazines.
There will also be a separate session on the relationship between editorial standards and the law.
THREATS TO JOURNALISTS
ONO Board members George Claassen from South Africa and Miriam Lewin from Argentina will be joined by other panellists to discuss some of the biggest threats journalists face around the world as they try to do their jobs. From threats of physical violence (and actual violence) to political pressure from repressive Governments and social media targeting and trolls, journalists are increasingly facing huge challenges in their pursuit of the facts.
OTHER SESSIONS BEING ARRANGED:
There will be a series of shops talks on key issues including climate change, social media use, language and identity and much much more, so watch this space as we continue to develop the conference program.
In the meantime, please read on as there are TWO IMPORTANT CONFERENCE MATTERS that require your early attention.
- CONFERENCE TRANSLATIONS?
The ONO Board is currently considering whether it not it is feasible and affordable to offer some limited live translation services into one or two languages during the London Conference.
For the most part, it is not a service we have been able to offer at recent past conferences, but advances in technology mean it might be possible to consider if the demand is there.
So if you are coming to the conference and would be interested in live translation into another language, please contact Alan Sunderland as soon as possible at newsombudsmenorg@gmail.com
This will allow the Board to get a sense of possible demand and factor that into our calculations.
- TRIP ON THE LONDON EYE
The 2023 Conference will follow the same pattern as other ONO conferences, which is to have a formal dinner on the final night (Friday June 2nd) and a free night for conference delegates on the first night of the conference (Thursday June 1st). The cost of the official dinner is included in the conference fee.
However, this year, we have an additional experience which we can also offer to interested delegates. An optional (but still free) addition to the conference program will be an early evening trip on the London Eye. ONO has reserved a private “pod” on the London Eye for a one hour trip, complete with drinks and canapés.
Please note that spaces on this experience are LIMITED – we may not be able to fit in everyone interested – and we need to finalise our booking as soon as possible. So if you would like to be part of this experience at the end of the first day of conference, please let us know as soon as possible by emailing Alan Sunderland at newsombudsmenorg@gmail.com.
Please note that, due to the limited spaces available, they will be filled on a first come, first served basis, but preference will be given to those who have already registered for the conference and paid the registration fee.
A REMINDER THAT THE LINK TO REGISTER AND PAY FOR THE LONDON CONFERENCE CAN BE FOUND HERE. THE PASSWORD FOR ENTRY INTO OUR MEMBERS ONLY SECTION IS ETHICS22
OTHER NEWS: NEW MEMBERS CONTINUE TO JOIN
It has been a wonderful time for the continued growth of ONO, as new members from around the world continue to contact us about joining the organisation. Since our last newsletter, we have had sign-ups (or strong expressions of interest) from:
DANIEL MACY
Daniel is the Senior Associate in the Office of the Public Editor at PBS, and works closely with ONO member Ric Sandoval-Palos on complaints investigations and other editorial matters
ANA ISABEL REIS and ANA SOUSA DIAS are the radio and TV ombuds (respectively) for the public broadcaster of Portugal – Rádio e Televisão de Portugal. We are delighted to welcome them aboard!
MEMBER COLUMNS, ARTICLES & ITEMS OF INTEREST
- Members would appreciate that impartiality is back in the headlines again courtesy of sports presenter Gary Lineker and the BBC. The BBC’s comments on the issue have been reported here and here, and there is also this interesting analysis from the Columbia Journalism Review and this broader research from the Reuters Institute.
- A fine piece here from Toronto Star Public editor Donovan Vincent on trauma-informed crime reporting.
- Irish Press Ombudsman Susan Mackay produced this interesting judgement that goes to the way allegations made in court cases are reported.
- Edwin Kreulen at Trouw newspaper in the Netherlands digs into the issue of book reviews
AND FINALLY…
ONO NEEDS YOU!
After four years in the role, the Executive Director of ONO, Alan Sunderland, has decided to step down from the position.
While Alan will stay on as a member of ONO, it means the organization is looking for a new person to step into the voluntary role. Although the position is unpaid and very much part-time, it does come with one benefit – in recognition of the work involved, ONO subsidises the costs for the Executive Director to attend the annual conference each year.
The position is ideal for any ONO member who feels they can spare a few hours a week to take on the role.
Alan has provided this information about the position and what is typically involved in it:
“I took on the Executive Director role in 2019 after it had been vacant for several years, and since then it has been a real privilege and honour to help make ONO as relevant and responsive as possible to its members. After four years, it is time to step back and focus on other personal priorities, but I strongly recommend the role to anyone with an interest in what ONO does and the ability to provide a small and manageable amount of time to helping the Board of ONO drive the organization.
There have only been a small number of Executive Directors in ONO’s history and each one has approached the role differently, depending on their skills, their interests and the amount of time they have to devote to it.
In my case, the focus of the role for me was:
- Producing the monthly newsletter and distributing it
- Joining in the regular board meetings
- Maintaining the website and keeping it up to date
- Helping to organise the regular Zoom shop talks
- Acting as a contact point for members and prospective new members
It is important to know that we have an excellent and hard-working book-keeper in Elaine Carlton, who looks after the paperwork, bank accounts and other formal processes around membership and payments. The ONO Board is also very active and involved in driving the organization, and there is always the prospect of providing more technical support in relation to the website if required. The Executive Director role can be adjusted to fit the skills of the person occupying it.
I have loved my time in the role, and I recommend it most highly to anyone who thinks they might be able to perform some or all of the role.”
The ONO Board would love to hear from anyone who might want to consider taking on the role, or even some of the specific functions involved in the role. If you’d like to know more, you can contact ONO at newsombudsmenorg@gmail.com
