Fifth National Meeting of NWMI

NETWORK OF WOMEN IN <st1:place><st1:city>MEDIA</st1:city>, <st1:country-region>INDIA</st1:country-region></st1:place><font size="3">

</font><font size="3">Fifth National Meeting, 9-11 February 2007, Bangalore</font>
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The Network of Women in Media, Bangalore (NWMB), affiliated to the Network of Women in <st1:place><st1:city>Media</st1:city>, <st1:country-region>India</st1:country-region></st1:place> (NWMI) is hosting the Fifth annual meeting of the NWMI, scheduled to be held in <st1:city><st1:place>Bangalore</st1:place></st1:city> from 9 to <st1:date year="2007" day="11" month="2">11 February 2007</st1:date>.

The NWMI, which came into being at a national meeting in
<st1:city><st1:place>Delhi</st1:place></st1:city> in January 2002, is an informal professional association linking women journalists and others working in or on the media across <st1:country-region><st1:place>India</st1:place></st1:country-region>. The NWMI has established a pattern of convening annual national-level meetings. Since participatory, collective functioning is also a core value of the network, local groups have taken the responsibility for organising these meetings. The second national meeting was hosted by the Mumbai group in January 2004, the third by the <st1:city><st1:place>Hyderabad</st1:place></st1:city> group in January 2005, and the fourth by the <st1:place>Bengal</st1:place> group in February 2006. Reports of these meetings, as well as other details about the national and local networks, are available on the NWMI website: www.nwmindia.org

As an entirely voluntary collective – albeit with a presence at the national level as well as in several places across the country – the NWMI is largely self-supported, and cannot offer travel expenses to any participants so everyone has traditionally paid their own way.

Any woman journalist who can get herself to
<st1:city><st1:place>Bangalore</st1:place></st1:city>, is most welcome. There will be a modest registration fee of Rs. 300. Accommodation is reasonably priced at Rs. 500 per person in a double room, including breakfast.
 
For more information and registration, contact Rehmat Merchant/ Theresa Varghese, Conveners, Communications Committee, NWMB: [email protected].<o:p>
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The draft agenda is as follows. <o:p></o:p>

Day I: <st1:date style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;" year="2007" day="9" month="2">9 February 2007</st1:date>

<st1:time minute="0" hour="9">9.00 – 10.30 a.m.</st1:time>: Registration

<st1:time minute="0" hour="10">10.30 – 11.00 a.m.</st1:time>: Tea/Coffee

<st1:time minute="0" hour="11">11.00 – 12.00 p.m.</st1:time>: Introductions, Interaction, Announcements

<st1:time minute="0" hour="12">12.00 – 1.00 p.m.</st1:time>: Lunch

<st1:time minute="0" hour="2">2.00 – 4.00 p.m.</st1:time>: Film screening and discussion

Film 1:

Coding Culture –
<st1:city><st1:place>Bangalore</st1:place></st1:city>'s Software Industry: July Boys. (one of a series of three half-hour ethnographic films on the IT/ITES industry).
Dir Gautam Sonti in collaboration with Carol Upadhya

Film 2

Suttaru Solloppadavaru (Burnt not destroyed): A documentary on the phenomenon of acid attacks on women.
Dir Sanjana C.B. and Usha B.N.

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5.00 – 7.30 p.m.: Public Meeting, including launch of Anupama Jayaraman Memorial Award for Young Journalists

8.30 p.m.: Dinner with speaker(s) and other guests

Day II: 10 February 2007

8.30– 8.50 a.m.: Yoga

8.50 – 9.20 a.m.: Personal/professional self-help; tips on health and nutrition for the professional woman on the go

10.00 a.m. – 12.30 p.m.: Panel Discussion: The Media, IT/ITES/ICTs and Gender

• Representative from Infosys Women's Inclusivity Network
• Representative from UNITES
• HR Manager from IT/ITES company
• Health professional dealing with IT/ITES clients
• Sociologist/ academic who has studied the subject
• Researcher/activist : IT, women and development
• Media analyst

Q&A, Open Discussion

12.30 – 1.50 p.m: Lunch

2 – 3.30 p.m.: Workshops<o:p></o:p>

Option A: Discussion with women journalists from the north-eastern states, rural areas/other non-metro locations, and/or regional language media on their experiences, working conditions and issues for discussion

Option B: Discussion on ethical dilemmas faced by journalists in the course of work

Option C: Discussion on proposed gender-sensitive media stylebook

Option D: Discussion on what constitutes news in the era of 24x7 TV news, how news gets constructed, roles played by PR agencies, event managers, NGOs, etc.

<st1:time minute="0" hour="15">3.30 – 3.50 p.m.</st1:time>: Tea/Coffee

<st1:time minute="0" hour="16">4 – 5.30 p.m.</st1:time>: Reporting/introspection by local networks, including ideas for future activities at local, national and regional levels<o:p></o:p>

7 – 8.30 p.m. (OPTIONAL): Interaction with woman artist and art collector at local art gallery

Day III: 11 February 2007

8.30 – 8.50 a.m.: Yoga

8.50 – 9.20 a.m.: Personal/professional self-help; Tips on the Net for journalists or on avoiding/dealing with occupational hazards

10.00 a.m. – 11.00 a.m: Discussion/decision s on NWMI: Towards More Effective Functioning -- Structure, Systems, Membership, Website, E-group(s)

11.00 – 12.00 noon: Discussion/decisions on NWMI: Towards More Constructive/ Productive Action -- Future Activities

12.00 – 1.00 p.m.: Discussion/decision s on regional collaboration
and coordination in working towards a Network of Women in Media, South Asia
1.00 – 2.20 p.m.: Lunch

2.30 – 4.30 p.m.: Panel Discussions

A: Panel Discussion: Relevance and Implications of Recent Developments in Media Policy, Legislation and Regulation from Viewpoint of Media Professionals

• Broadcast Bill
• Broadcasting code/guidelines
• Privatisation of terrestrial TV
• FM licensing (or restrictions on news/current affairs on radio)
• FDI in print media
• Community media (including recent community radio legislation)

• Q&A, Open Discussion

B: Panel Discussion: Emerging Opportunities & Challenges in Media Professions

• Print
• TV
• Radio
• New Media
• Film
• Publishing

  Q&A

4.30 – 5 p.m.: Tea/Coffee

5.00 – 6 p.m.: Wrap-up

Post National Meeting: Workshop for Journalists on Child Labour, Children and Media, organised by the Concerned for Working Children, Bangalore. For details click here.<o:p></o:p>

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