Soundbites to Solutions, A Panel Discussion on Diversity and the 2008 Election

The White House Project, The Women's Media Center and The Maynard Institute for Journalism Education Present:

"From Soundbites to Solutions: Bias, Punditry and the Press in the 2008 Election"

A Panel at the Democratic National Convention, August 26, 2008
August 20, 2008 (Denver, CO) - The White House Project, The Women's Media Center and The Maynard Institute are pleased to host a dynamic group of journalists, political observers and academics as they discuss the impact of race, gender, class and age on the 2008 election at the DNC in Denver. "From Soundbites to Solutions: Bias, Punditry and the Press in the 2008 Election," will provide analysis of media bias in the primary election and brainstorm new strategies for journalists. The forum will be held on Tuesday, August 26, 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Starz Green Room (within the Democratic Convention Complex, Denver, CO.)

The Denver event will bring together national political observers and media professionals, including:

• Moderator: Michel Martin, Host of NPR's Tell Me More
• Bonnie Erbe, Host of PBS' To The Contrary and Contributing Editor for U.S. News and World Report
• Maria Teresa Petersen, Founding Executive Director, Voto Latino and MSNBC Commentator
• Richard Prince , Blogger for the Maynard Institute's "Journal-isms," Editor of Black College Wire, Copy Editor, Washington Post,
• Jamal Simmons, CNN Political Analyst
• Rebecca Traister, Senior Writer for Salon.com
• Patricia J. Williams, Columnist, The Nation, and Professor of Law, Columbia University

The panel is the second in a series of discussion which began at NYC's Paley Center on June 17, 2008, and featured guests including Christiane Amanpour, Juan Gonzalez, Kathleen Hall Jamieson, Dr. Ron Walters, Patricia Williams and others. To document the conclusions of the original "Soundbites" panel, The White House Project, The Women's Media Center and The Maynard Institute will release a report on August 25, 2008. Entitled "Bias, Punditry and the Press: Where Do We Go From Here?," the report is a compilation of the moderator and panelist comments, information from audience polls, and analysis of primary coverage. "Bias, Punditry and the Press: Where Do We Go From Here?" also offers extensive solutions for combating media bias, designed for journalists and media consumers.

"The media plays an essential role in our democracy, both providing information and shaping the conversation about who we are as individuals and as a nation," added Carol Jenkins, president of The Women's Media Center. "But this election has raised questions about how the press is fulfilling its role as the great public educator, and whether more should be done to ensure that the images we see in the media are both accurate and representative."

"This election has presented not just a challenge, but an opportunity for our country to meaningfully address the issues that have for too long kept us apart," said Marie Wilson, president of The White House Project. "Voters, candidates, political parties and the media are being called upon to address the ways that race, gender, age and class shape our political system; the mixed results we've seen throughout the primary season indicate that its time to develop solutions for better communication as we head into the general election. This forum is an opportunity to do just that."

"At The Maynard Institute, we believe the fault lines of race, class, gender, generation and geography are the prisms through which we see ourselves, each other and events around us," said Dori J. Maynard, president of The Maynard Institute for Journalism Education. "They are the most enduring forces shaping lives, experiences and social tensions in this country. It's our responsibility as media professionals and consumers to help our fellow citizens learn to better communicate across the fault lines."

The event is free of charge and open to the press and the public credentialed for entrance to the Convention. Space is limited, so attendees are required to register prior to the event at SeaChangecom.com . Media should RSVP to the contacts listed above to reserve space in the auditorium.

ABOUT THE SPONSORS:

The White House Project (WHP), a national, nonpartisan, not-for-profit organization, 501(c)(3), aims to advance women's leadership in all communities and sectors, up to the U.S. presidency. By filling the leadership pipeline with a richly diverse, critical mass of women, WHP makes makes American institutions, businesses and government truly representative. Through multi-platform programs, The White House Project creates a culture where America's most valuable untapped resource--women--can succeed in all realms.

The Women's Media Center (WMC) works to make women visible and powerful in the media. From its founding in 2005 by Jane Fonda, Robin Morgan and Gloria Steinem to its advocacy and media relations work today, The Women's Media Center is part of a strong feminist tradition that seeks to hold the media accountable for presenting the world as we know it. Its mission is to ensure that women and women's experiences are reflected in the media just as women are present everywhere in the real world; that women are represented as local, national, and global sources for and subjects of the media; and that women media professionals have equal opportunities for employment and advancement For more information, please visit www.womensmediacenter.com.

For more than 30 years, the Robert C. Maynard Institute for Journalism Education (MIJE) has helped the nation's news media reflect America's diversity in staffing, content and business operations. Through its professional development programs, the Institute prepares multi-cultural, multi-media managers for careers in both business- and news-sides of the journalism industry. The Institute has a history of training and placing more nonwhite journalists than any other single institution in the country. Incorporated in 1977 as the Institute for Journalism Education, the Oakland-based nonprofit organization was renamed in 1993 to honor the late co-founder Robert C. Maynard, the former Washington Post journalist who went on to become the owner, publisher and editor of the Oakland Tribune.