Kutschstall Am Neuen Markt
BUS TRANSFER FROM HOTELS & COFFEE

9.00 – 10.45
WORKING SESSION I:
Will there ever be a Eurasia? Convergence
vs. Conflict and the Role of the Media

Chair:
John Lloyd (Financial Times & Reuters Institute, Oxford)

Speakers:
Anthony Robinson (Journalist and Commentator)
Disa Håstad (Dagens Nyheter)
Michael Vardzelashvili (Georgian Public Television)
Andrei Ostalski (BBC Russian Service)

• From EU Neighbourhood Policy to NATO, the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation (SCO): Are regional alliances essential safeguards to independence or a source of conflict?
• The conflict in Georgia, the political fallout and national media: how far have national media acted as cheer leaders for their countries – Russia, Georgia, EU, US?
• Central Asian Republics: Moving towards China? Energy-rich enough to dictate their own terms between East and West?
• Are our respective media reflecting the real picture or fuelling an East-West divide?

MINI BREAK

11.15 – 12.45
WORKING SESSION II:
The Western Media Model in Decline? Is It the End of the West’s claimed Monopoly on Standards?

Chair: John Lloyd

Speakers:
Tøger Seidenfaden (Politiken)
Dame Ann Leslie (Daily Mail)
Prof. Michael Stürmer (Die Welt)
Konstantin Eggert (BBC Russian Service)

• Is there a ‘Western’ media agenda?: Are the Western media ‘distorting’ their coverage of Russian affairs?
• Central Asia: A blind spot for the Western media? What incentives would generate more comprehensive reporting?
• Western media: Can they sustain their claim to represent and set universal standards of free speech in journalism? How have they faired in their reporting of terrorism?
• Ownership and control: Government vs. private ownership – which serves media standards better?

LUNCH

KEYNOTE PRESENTATION BY CANDACE JOHNSON (SES/ASTRA)

14.00 – 15.30
WORKING SESSION III:
The Rise of the East: Good or bad for the Media?

Chair: John Lloyd
Speakers:
Bridget Kendall (BBC)
Maria Eismont (Russian Independent Programme,
New Eurasia Foundation)
Elchin Shikhlinsky (Journalist Union of Azerbaijan)
Roger Köppel (Weltwoche)

• What is top of the agenda in the ‘Eastern’ media? The West’s media – still a model to be emulated?
• Who owns Eurasia’s media? Censorship, self-censorship and other constraints on the media: are governments the worst culprits? Are private owners less intrusive?
• As the centre of economic gravity shifts towards the East, will the practises and values associated with Western media follow suit?
• Where is the line between legitimate political opposition and incitement to terrorism? Can the media do more to prevent a blurring of these lines?


Schlosstheater Neues Palais

16.30 – 18.15
PLENARY SESSION:
From West to East – Are the Media United by Professional Challenges or divided by Political Realities?

Welcoming remarks: Jann Jakobs
(Lord Mayor of Potsdam)

Summary of previous sessions: John Lloyd
(Financial Times & Reuters Institute, Oxford)

The panel led plenary session will focus on two key issues, first on the implications of the conflict in Georgia both for the former member countries of the Soviet Union and also for the wider geo-political aspects of East-West relations. One question to be answered is the influence that press coverage has had on the conflict in Georgia and on the search for solutions. This leads on to the second major issue for the plenary session: media freedom as one of the fundamental characteristics of democracy at a time when terrorism is a worldwide concern. Does the fight against terrorism justify censorship of subversive material? And where is the fine line between freedom of the media and censorship? The discussants will also look at countries in transition to democracy and how governments can be convinced of the case for a free media.

Chair: Nik Gowing (BBC World)

Panelists:
Günter Knabe (Deutsche Welle TV)
Alexey Nikolov (Russia Today TV)
Louis Schweitzer (Le Monde)
Gwyneth Williams (BBC World)
Olexander Martynenko (Interfax Ukraine)

MINI BREAK

18.45 – 19.45
THE M100 MEDIA PRIZE CEREMONY

Opening remarks: Matthias Platzeck
(Minister President of Brandenburg)

Keynote speaker:
Lord Owen (former UK Foreign Secretary and EU peace negotiator in the former Yugoslavia 1992-95)

Great Power Realpolitik:
Kosovo 1999 to Georgia 2008

Laudation: Roger Köppel (Weltwoche)

M100 Media Prize Laureate:
Ingrid Betancourt (former Senator of Colombia)

Concluding remarks: Lord Weidenfeld
(President, Institute for Strategic Dialogue)


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