Media

In the first project of its kind in Asia, six winners of the Pulitzer Prize will give lectures and hold talks in Hong Kong, sharing with local students, journalists and colleagues in Greater China their insights into the profession they have served with dedication and distinction. The workshop, organised by the Journalism Department of Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU), seeks to enhance the quality of journalism education and improve professionalism and standards of practice by giving journalists and students of journalism a global vision.

The Pulitzer Prize Winners Workshop (PPWW) will be held on 15-22 October, covering a wide range of topics including reporting on China, financial reporting, international conflict and war reporting, on-line investigative reporting, and photo journalism. Below are profiles of the six winners of journalism's most coveted award and the topics they will cover at the workshop:

Mr. Peter Arnett, as a correspondent for the Associated Press in Vietnam in the 1960s, won the Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting in 1966. Mr. Arnett, who also achieved fame for his coverage of the first Gulf War for CNN and had the opportunity to interview Saddam Hussein and Osama Bin Laden, will share with the audience his 45 years experience as a war reporter.

Ms. Mei Fong, a Chinese correspondent for The Wall Street Journal, was in the 2007 winning team for International Reporting. She is renowned for her sharply edged reports on the adverse impact of China's booming capitalism. At the workshop she will deliver a lecture entitled "Covering the 2008 Olympics: A View of China".

Also in the 2007 winning team for International Reporting was Mr. Steve Stecklow, a senior special writer and news editor of The Wall Street Journal. His winning stories covered the backdated stock options for business executives that triggered investigations. Citing this award-winning story and another on the fair-trade coffee phenomenon, Mr. Stecklow will examine how the stories were generated and reported. He will also lecture at the workshop on global journalism and financial reporting.

A portrait of the diverse lifestyles of seven 21-year-old Americans won Professor John Kaplan the 1992 prize for Feature Photography. At the workshop, the Florida University Foundation Professor will analyse the prize-winning entries and give a critique of student photography. He will also discuss reporters social responsibility when covering the plight of torture victims.

The 1997 winner for Explanatory Reporting, Mr. Michael Vitez is a staff writer of The Philadelphia Inquirer. He was honoured for a series on the choices confronting critically ill patients who sought to die with dignity. Mr. Vitez will talk about how the newspaper world has changed in his 28 years of experience, and where he thinks it is headed, with particular focus on the newspaper where he works.

The Washington Post staff writer Ms. Amy Goldstein was in the 2002 winning team for National Reporting for comprehensive coverage of America's war on terrorism. She will conduct a lecture entitled "911 and Its Consequences: Building the Story from the Ground up". She will also talk about changes in the newsroom of the Washington Post, as well as its enduring values and standards that have shaped her stories over the years as a national reporter.

Journalists, students and teachers and all who are interested in the PPWW are welcome to attend, subject to seat availability and based on a first-come, first-served basis. Reservations are required for the Open Lecture on 20 October (Saturday), when Mr.? Arnett will speak on "Live from the Battlefield", and Mr. Vitez will lecture on "Rocky Stories". For registration, please visit the website at http://www.hkbu.edu.hk/~ppww.

For details about PPWW, please call at 3411 7686. For programme schedule, please refer to annex or visit the website at http://net3.hkbu.edu.hk/~ppww/chi/schedule.php.

Meanwhile, to showcase the achievement of the renowned winners and to enhance the public's understanding an interest in the workshop, a roving exhibition is being held from 1-21 October at 1/F, Devon House, TaiKoo Place; BAILEYS at the Fringe fotogalarie, Fringe Club, Central; and 2/F Centre Bridge, Cityplaza. The exhibition, "Excellence in Journalism: an Integration of Art and Culture", seeks to illustrate how journalistic excellence is related to art and culture. It presents the professional philosophy of six Pulitzer Prize recipients, including the winning photos of one of the recipients, Professor John Kaplan.

The workshop was organised by HKBU with the support of $1 million from the Hong Kong Economic Journal Co., Ltd.. Each year, four to six Pulitzer Prize winners in journalism will be invited to the HKBU campus for a two-week academic exchange.

Annex: PPWW programme
The winners photos can be downloaded at http://www.hkbu.edu.hk/~cpro/download/Pulitzer%20Prize%20Winning%20Participants/

Media Enquiries: Connie Ko of the Communication and Public Relations Office of HKBU (3411 7963 / 7472 2120)