Visitor Speaks on American Press

Bill strasberger and Stephen Weeks speak about US printing media and NIT

On May 6, William Strassberger, spoke on the American Press to a group of fifteen Congolese journalists at the PD Auditorium, Embassy Kinshasa.  Strassberger, who is on a multi-country visit to Africa, brought copies of American newspapers for the journalists to read and compare with their own publications.  He spoke about the nuts and bolts of the newspaper business, the ethics and ground rules of responsible reporting, and the challenge of new media.  Opening the floor for questions from the start, Strassberger led a lively conversation between professionals.  The journalists were very interested in learning about the business models of American newspapers, and how these models were adapting to changing demographics and competition from new media.  While most of the journalists have regular access to the internet, they expressed a desire to learn more about new media so they could better incorporate tools like Facebook and blogs into their daily business.  At the end of the program, copies of the IIP booklet Handbook of Independent Journalism and a recent E-Journal on new media were given to the participants.