PANEL DISCUSSION (Part 1)
Press Freedom: On The Frontlines And Online

The speech and Q & A will be in English and Japanese with simultaneous interpretation.

Press freedom comes into the spotlight at the FCCJ on Feb. 16 with two events you won't want to miss. (See separate notice for second event.)

Starting the day at 10:30am, the Committee to Protect Journalists will unveil the latest edition of Attacks on the Press, an annual survey of press freedom conditions worldwide. Joel Simon, executive director of the CPJ, will be on-hand to present the survey and highlight some of the current issues surrounding press freedom worldwide.

A panel discussion and Q & A period will immediately follow with Simon joined on stage by:

Nobuhisa Degawa, senior commentator for Middle East affairs at NHK and former NHK Middle East correspondent and Cairo and Baghdad bureau chief during the Iraq War.

Maria Ressa, head of news and current affairs at ABS-CBN, one of the largest TV networks in the Philippines, and former Jakarta bureau chief of CNN International.

Nobuyoshi Sakajiri, deputy foreign news editor at The Asahi Shimbun. He was previously based in Washington, D.C., and was a senior diplomatic correspondent at the China General Bureau covering freedom of speech and of the press in China.

Madeline Earp, Asia research associate at the CPJ. Fluent in Mandarin Chinese, Earp has a master's degree in East Asian studies from Harvard University and a bachelor's degree in English literature from Cambridge University, UK. She has studied in China and Taiwan and taught in Asia, Europe and America. She joined CPJ from Human Rights in China.

Please reserve in advance, 3211-3161 or http://www.fccj.or.jp/node/5369 (still & TV cameras inclusive). Reservations and cancellations are not complete without confirmation.

Freedom of the Press Committee
Professional Activities Committee

Paul Steiger, Chairman of CPJ; President & Editor-in-Chief of ProPUBLICA

Nobuhisa Degawa, Madeline Earp, Maria Ressa, Nobuyoshi Sakajiri, Joel Simon.