International Press Institute to hold World Congress in Boston April 30-May 3

Business Wire, April 6, 2000

Business Editors

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 6, 2000

The International Press Institute (IPI) will convene its World Congress and General Assembly in Boston from April 30-May 3, with over 500 editors, media executives and leading journalists from around the world scheduled to attend.

IPI was founded in 1950 for the purpose of contributing to world peace with fair and unprejudiced news reporting. Since then, its aim has been broadened to promote, uphold and safeguard freedom of the press.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the organization, which was launched on the initiative of Lester Markel, Sunday editor of The New York Times and a leading member of the American Society of Newspaper Editors.

The 2000 World Congress activities will take place at four venues wi thin Boston. Opening ceremonies on Sunday, April 30 will take place at the State House.

Monday's sessions will be held at the World Trade Center, where keynote speakers and panelists will address such issues as Broadcasting Trends and Challenges for the Coming Century, Does the US Press have a Credibility Problem?; and Human Rights vs. Realpolitik -- What is the right foreign Policy Mix for the 21st Century?

Tuesday's program includes a unique "Campus Day." In the morning, IPI members will attend lectures and panel presentations at Harvard University on Race and the American Experience and Gender and the American Experience. In the afternoon they will visit and tour the Media Lab at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Wednesday's event celebrates World Press Freedom Day at Boston's Faneuil Hall, where "50 World Press Freedom Heroes" will be honored from the last 50 years for their courage and dedication to free expression.

The IPI World Congress brings together prominent governmental leaders, academic and media experts to exchange views and discuss current developments in the US and around the world. Senior officials from the United States Government and United Nations have been invited to take part in the proceedings as well.

Among the participants in the four-day session are Henry Kissinger, former US Secretary of State; Walter Schwimmer, Secretary-General, Council of Europe; David Westin, President, ABC News; Tom Brokaw, NBC News; Sanford Ungar, Director, Voice of America; Steven Brill, Chairman and Editor in Chief, Brill's Content; Eason Jordan, President, News Gathering & International Networks, CNN; Sergei Kiriyenko, former Prime Minister of Russia; Joseph Nye, Director, Kennedy School at Harvard; and Walter Bender, director, News of the Future Consortium in Cambridge, Mass.

Co-hosting the Boston event are Arthur Sulzberger Jr., chairman of The New York Times Company and Publisher of The New York Times, and William O. Taylor, Chairman Emeritus of The Boston Globe.

In addition to the Times and the Globe, sponsors include The Boston Herald, The Christian Science Monitor; ChryslerDaimler Corporation; Community Newspaper Company; Fidelity Investments; Fleet Financial Group; The Freedom Forum; The Gillette Company; Greater Boston Convention and Visitors Bureau; The Hearst Corporation; Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG; The John S. & James L. Knight Foundation; The Los Angeles Times; Massachusetts Convention Center Authority; Massachusetts Port Authority; Ottaway Newspapers; The Providence Journal; and the Scripps Howard Foundation.

Note to Editors I: The Vice President of the US, Al Gore, has been invited to speak at the opening ceremonies on Sunday. George W. Bush, Governor of Texas and Republican presidential candidate, and Richard Holbrooke, US Ambassador to the United Nations, have also been invited to speak at other sessions at the conference.

Note to Editors II: Media and news representatives who wish to cover th is event must receive credentials. To apply for Press Credentials, contact Christopher Murphy or Courtney McIlhenny, at Agnew Carter/MSL in Boston at 617-437-7722 or e-mail to cmurphy@ac-mslpr.com.