The 2nd Pulitzer Prize Winners Workshop opens today
A series of stimulating activities to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the School of Communication has commenced, among them the 2nd Pulitzer Prize Winners Workshop which opened today (11 November). In the Workshop, five winners of the Pulitzer Prize, the US media industrys most prestigious award, share their insights and experiences in lectures and seminars for University members, media professionals and the public.
Officiating guests at the opening ceremony included Mr. Joseph Donovan Jr., US Consul General in Hong Kong and Macau; Mr. Wilfred Wong, Chairman of HKBU Council and the Court; Mr. K.C. Chan, Chief Editor of the Hong Kong Economic Journal; Professor Franklin Luk, Vice-President (Academic); and Professor Zhao Xinshu, Dean of the School of Communication.
(First row from left) Five Pulitzer Prize winners, Mr. Gregg Fields, Mr. Steve Fainaru, Professor Leon Dash, Mr. Liu Heung-shing, and Mr. David Cay Johnston, together with Mr. Joseph Donovan Jr. (first row, second from right), Mr. Wilfred Wong (first row, right) and other honourable guests pose for a group photo
In his speech, Mr. Wong said 2008 had been an extraordinary year, both for China and the rest of the world, with a succession of momentous events including the Beijing Olympics, the Sichuan earthquake and the financial tsunami. He said journalists had the responsibility of keeping the public well-informed on all major situations. That was why society needed reporters with a high degree of integrity.
Mr. Donovan Jr. congratulated HKBU for organising the Workshop which he said was a brilliant and bold initiative. Press freedom was all-important, he said, and that since members of the media enjoyed great influence, they should fully execute their responsibilities in bringing the truth to light.
Members of this years Workshop are: Mr. Liu Heung-shing (member of the 1992 winning team for Spot News Photography), Mr. Gregg Fields (member of the 1993 winning team for Public Service), Professor Leon Dash (1995 winner for Explanatory Journalism), Mr. David Cay Johnston (2001 winner for Beat Reporting), and Mr. Steve Fainaru (2008 winner for International Reporting).
The eminent visitors met members of the media and public at the ceremony, which was followed by a forum on The Innovation of Journalism in Next Decade: Trends in Online Journalism, Blogging, Citizen Journalism and New Media Technologies.
To enhance the quality of journalistic education and to help train professional journalists with a global vision, HKBU set up the Pulitzer Prize Winners Workshop, an initiative unique in Asia, last year with the support of a $1 million donation from the Hong Kong Economic Journal Co., Ltd. Each year, four to six Pulitzer Prize winners will be invited to the HKBU campus for two weeks of academic exchange.
