Date : October 28, 2021
FPCJ 45th Anniversary International Webinar—The Future of Media: Competition and Coexistence Between Social Media and News Organizations—What Issues Has the Pandemic Brought to the Forefront?
post date : 2021.10.27
FPCJ 45th Anniversary International Webinar
The Future of Media: Competition and Coexistence Between Social Media and News Organizations—What Issues Has the Pandemic Brought to the Forefront?
Thursday, October 28, 2021
As part of its 45th anniversary project, Foreign Press Center Japan is holding an international webinar on Thursday, October 28, 2021 on the topic “The Future of Media: Competition and Coexistence Between Social Media and News Organizations.” Experts and leading journalists from both Japan and overseas (the Philippines, UK, and US) will discuss what role news organizations and professional journalists should play in response to the rise of social media.
■ Topic
Social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter have grown to fill a major role as a source of information for the public, allowing governments, businesses, and individuals to present the information they want to communicate in real time, without using news organizations as a middleman. Social media has not only become an indispensable tool for grassroots democracy movements in authoritarian nations and for social movements fighting against racism, it has also become an indispensable news source, for news organizations as well.
The occurrence of the COVID-19 pandemic has brought issues with news organizations and social media into stark relief. It is extremely difficult for news organizations to carry out accurate and critical reporting on a novel virus which continues to mutate, and on the effectiveness and safety of new vaccines. At the same time, on social media, where there is a lack of factchecking or self-regulation, there are various baseless claims about the side effects of vaccines, which have been pointed out as a factor in vaccine avoidance.
With the rise of social media, what issues are news organizations faced with? How can they improve themselves in response? Is there anything news organizations can do to combat the spread of misinformation and fake news on social media?
This symposium will reexamine the differences between the role of traditional news organizations and social media through the lens of issues brought to the forefront by the pandemic, as well as considering the strengths of news organizations and the path they should take moving forward.
(*Click here for more details on the seminar concept.)
■ Overview
| Date and Time: | 16:00 to 18:00 (120 minutes), Thursday, October 28, 2021 |
| Format: | Online (Zoom webinar) |
| Languages: | Japanese and English (simultaneous interpretation) |
*Note: The panelists will use English or Japanese, depending on the speaker.
Simultaneous interpretation into the other language will be available.
To listen to the interpretation, be sure to install the Zoom application before the seminar.
(If you use Zoom via a browser, the interpretation icon will not be available.)
| Host: | Foreign Press Center Japan (FPCJ) |
| Supporters: | Japan Newspaper Publishers & Editors Association |
| International University of Japan | |
| Fee: | Free of charge |
■ Keynote Speakers, Moderator, and Panelists
First Session Keynote Speaker/Panelist
Mr. Susumu Shimoyama, Nonfiction Writer
Wrote about structural changes and the ups and downs of the media industry based on detailed coverage, expressing his ideals for the news media. From 2018, as a guest professor in policy management at Keio University he held an investigative course on “the media in 2050,” and the following year released the results of that investigation as a book, Media in 2050: Three-way Battle of Yomiuri, Nikkei, and Yahoo Japan (2019, Bungei Shunju). Completed the International Journalism program at Columbia Journalism School in 1993. His works include American Journalism (1995, Maruzen), Media Survival: How Reuters, Bloomberg and Nikkei Have Competed and Developed the Global Financial Market (2002, Kadokawa), and Journalists in 2050 (2021, Mainichi Shimbun Publishing). His book Conquering Alzheimer’s Disease (2021, Kadokawa) covers 30 years of history leading to the development of the disease-modifying drug aducanumab, which was approved in the US after publication of this book. Non-fiction editor at Bungei Shunju for years. Teaches as an adjunct in the Journalism School of Sophia University. Writes a weekly two-page column, “Media in 2050” for the Sunday Mainichi.
Second Session Keynote Speaker/Panelist
Mr. Shinichi Yamaguchi, Associate Professor, Center for Global Communications, International University of Japan
Shinichi Yamaguchi obtained his PhD in Economics at Keio University (Japan) in 2015. His field of expertise is econometrics. His research interests include social media and the digital economy. He has appeared in many media outlets, including NHK and the Nikkei. He was awarded the KDDI Foundation Award, the Takamiya Award of Academic Association for Organizational Science, the Paper Award of The Japan Society of Information and Communication Research (twice), and the Telecommunications Incentive Award in Social Studies. He published several books; “Who are The Extreme People?” (Kobunsha Co., Ltd.), “Why It’s Profitable” (Soshisha Publishing), “The Economics of Online Flaming and Word-of-Mouth” (Asahi Shimbun Publications Inc.), etc. In addition, he is an affiliate researcher of The University of Tokyo, a director of the Risk Communication Institute of Japan, and an advisor to SIEMPLE Inc., GREE, Inc., Mercari, Inc., Creator Economy Association.
Panelist
Mr. Peter Landers, Tokyo Bureau Chief, The Wall Street Journal (USA)
The Wall Street Journal, founded in 1889 by Dow Jones & Company, has the largest circulation for a paid newspaper in the USA. Japanese edition is also available. Peter has nearly 20 years of experience at The Wall Street Journal as a reporter, editor and bureau chief. He joined the Journal as a Tokyo correspondent in 1999 and moved to the U.S. in 2002, where he served as a page-one staff editor in New York and assistant bureau chief in Washington, among other positions. He assumed his present post in February 2014. Peter is a graduate of Yale, where he studied classics and Japanese. With colleagues, he shared the National Press Foundation’s online journalism award for coverage of the Supreme Court’s 2012 ruling on the Affordable Care Act and the Society for American Business Writers and Editors explanatory journalism award for coverage of the Fukushima nuclear accident. He is fluent in Japanese and serves as a guest commentator on the Tokyo Broadcasting System Saturday evening program "ShinJoho7days Newscaster."
Mr. Robin Harding, Asia Editor, The Financial Times（UK）
Asia editor for the Financial Times, founded in 1888 and one of the UK’s leading economic newspapers. Joined the Financial Times in 2006, and worked as a Tokyo correspondent from 2008 to 2010, worked at the Washington Bureau from 2010 to 2014, then as Tokyo Bureau Chief before starting his current role in 2021. Before becoming a journalist, he worked in banking, asset management and public policy research. Received a degree in economics from the University of Cambridge. From 2001 to 2004, studied at Hitotsubashi University on a Monbukagakusho Scholarship, where he received a master’s degree in economics. As Asia editor, he manages the FT's Asia network, and writes about important themes across the region.
Ms. Chay F. Hofileña, Founder/Managing Editor, Rappler（Philippines）
Rappler is the Philippines' leading digital media company, which was born mid-2011 as Facebook page MovePH, and launched its website rappler.com in January 2012. Rappler received the 2018 Free Media Pioneer award from The International Press Institute, which is a global network of journalists aiming to defend media freedom and support independent journalism. Rappler has nearly 5 million Facebook followers, and is known for its deep analysis and thorough investigative journalism. Among its senior editors and founders, Chay is managing editor. She was previously head of Rappler’s Investigative Desk – Newsbreak – and is in charge of training. Before joining Rappler, she was a contributing writer of Newsbreak Magazine and was one of its founding editors. She obtained her graduate degree from Columbia University’s School of Journalism in New York.
Moderator
Mr. Kazuo Kodama, President, Foreign Press Center Japan
Mr. Kodama joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1976, where he served as Press Secretary, Director-General of the Foreign Service Training Institute, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary (and Deputy Permanent Representative) of Japan to the United Nations, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to the European Union. He retired from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in September 2020, and was appointed President of the Foreign Press Center Japan in November 2020.
■ Program
| 16:00 | Opening Address |
| Foreign Press Center Japan President Kazuo Kodama (Moderator) | |
| 16:05-16:15 | First Session Keynote Speech: Nonfiction Writer Susumu Shimoyama |
| The issues and challenges traditional news organizations are facing with the rise of social media, and the resulting self-improvement | |
| 16:15-16:45 | Panel Discussion |
| 16:45-16:55 | Second Session Keynote Speech: International University of Japan Center for Global Communications Associate Professor Shinichi Yamaguchi |
| 16:55-17:25 | Panel Discussion |
| Problems with social media—Anonymity allowing for the spread of irresponsible extremism, abuse, unconfirmed information, lies, and fake news, and what news organizations can do about it |
| 17:25-18:00 | Concluding Session and Q&A |
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What role should traditional news organizations (groups of professional journalists) play, and what capabilities should they be expected to have, with governments, businesses, specialists and individuals able to express themselves on social media, in what is becoming a transparent fashion? |
| 18:00 | Closing |
*Program details, times, and panelists are subject to change without notice.
■ How to Apply
Apply from the link below. Fill out the required information and click “Register.”
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_THI9MPArRImGafE3dVUzMg
Application Deadline
Please apply by Wednesday, October 27, 2021.
Contact Information
FPCJ Media Relations Division, Ms. Yoshida/Ms. Ishida/Ms. Hamada
E-mail： ma@fpcjpn.or.jp