CONFERENCE UPDATE
With just weeks to go until our Annual Conference in London, now is the time to formally register if you are still planning to attend.
You can find the details and registration link HERE (password is ETHICS22).
The program is well advanced and features a host of fascinating speakers and panels.
Here are some of the highlights (full program available closer to the event):
| Wednesday 31st March | |
| 1830 | Welcome drinks at the BBC |
| Thursday 1st June (at the BBC) | |
| 0930 | Press and Broadcast Regulation, featuring speakers from OFCOM and IPSO |
| 1030 | Panel discussion on Social Media |
| 1200 | Covering Mass Shootings, featuring Glynn Greensmith |
| 1400 | Covering Ukraine |
| 1500 | Threats to Journalists around the World |
| 1545 | Shop talk on Climate Change, Covid and Science Denial |
| 1830 | London Eye tour (please contact ONO to reserve a place) |
| Friday 2nd June (at The Guardian) | |
| 0930 | Margaret Sullivan keynote speech |
| 1045 | ombuds and the Law |
| 1130 | Shop talk on diversity, including the use of languageA |
| 1400 | Artificial Intelligence |
| 1530 | Trust and Transparency |
| 1830 | Official Conference dinner |
| Saturday 3rd June (at the BBC) | |
| 1000 | ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING* |
*The Annual General Meeting is separate to the conference itself, and will be held in a smaller room at the BBC equipped with Zoom facilities so that members who are unable to attend or who are not at the conference can dial in.
A separate agenda for the AGM will be circulated in advance, but it is expected to include discussion about a replacement for Alan Sunderland as Executive Director and also a discussion about the future role and priorities of ONO as an organization. All members are welcome to attend but only full members (as opposed to Associate Members) can formally vote on any resolutions.
OTHER IMPORTANT CONFERENCE ISSUES:
- At this stage we have received no indications from those attending that translation services will be required for the conference. Due to the cost and technical issues associated with organising live translations, we are currently not planning to proceed with any translation services. If you are coming and would still like to ask us to consider this option, please let us know by emailing the Executive Director at newsombudsmenorg@gmail.com
- If you are coming to the conference and would like to reserve a spot on the London Eye tour on the first night, please let us know by emailing the Executive Director at newsombudsmenorg@gmail.com
- If you have any accessibility issues we need to know about, please let us know by emailing the Executive Director at newsombudsmenorg@gmail.com
JOURNALISM AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
One of the key sessions at our conference, to be organised and moderated by ONO Member (and the man behind the excellent journalismAI website) Andrew Cochran, will discuss the latest issues and trends involving artificial intelligence and the news media.
In preparation for this crucial discussion, it is worth sharing this recent article from The Guardian’s Head of Editorial Innovation, Chris Moran, who we hope will be joining us at the conference.
REMEMBERING ALICIA SHEPARD
Like many organizations, ONO is built on the hard work and expertise of its past members, who have contributed so much to what ONO is today.
In that spirit, we pay tribute to the enormous contribution made to both ONO and the wider cause of editorial standards by Alicia (Lisa) Shepard, who died on April 1st this year.
Lisa was the Ombudsman for National Public Radio in the US from 2007 to 2011. She was a member of ONO during that time and also served on the Board, helping to organise and co-host the 2009 ONO Conference in Washington.
Her contributions towards making journalism the best it can be extend far beyond her time with ONO. An award-winning journalist, author and academic, Lisa was a member of the Journalism and Women Symposium, and wrote widely on journalism and other topics across a range of publications, including the New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times and the American Journalism Review.
You can read more about her life and career here and contribute to a legacy foundation established in her honour here.
OTHER NEWS:
- The charges laid against Donald Trump have thrown up a range of ethical challenges for the news media. NPR has announced its own approach in covering the story.
- In Canada, CBC’s Jack Nagler continues to deal with complaints over the coverage of Covid 19
- In the Netherlands, Margo Smit explores the right to respond
- The issue of objectivity never seems to go away. Here is a recent contribution from Martin Baron at the Washington Post
ONO CONTINUES TO GROW
The last couple of years have been an extraordinary period of growth for ONO. The organization has thrived during covid restrictions, as more and more of our members look for opportunities to stay connected with colleagues.
Our membership is now above 80, which is by far the biggest we have been in a decade.
In recent weeks, we have welcomed new members from Spain, Portugal, the United States and Serbia.
The full list of our members can be found on our website, and their contact details are in our Members Only section.
We are particularly looking forward to meeting many of our new members for the first time in London at the conference.
