NPR's Block Talks Shop: Reporting From China
LEXINGTON, Ky. (March 8, 2010)- On May 12, 2008, National Public Radio correspondent Melissa Block and her colleagues were on their first reporting trip to China to prepare for a week of special programming, when disaster struck in the form of an 8.0 magnitude earthquake.
Block was one of four NPR journalists in Chengdu when the earthquake hit, turning their tiny Sheraton hotel news operation into the only Western broadcast news source for coverage of the calamity.
Block will share her experiences as a first-time journalist in China at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, March 10, in University of Kentucky's Memorial Hall. The event is free and open to the public.
"I think that Melissa brings the keen insight of a very experienced journalist to UK and the Lexington community," said UK Asia Center Assistant Director Shana Herron. "She turned her eye toward China at what turned out to be an incredible moment, for awful reasons."
A 24-year veteran of National Public Radio, Block has hosted All Things Considered since 2003. Her stories from the earthquake's immediate aftermath earned NPR a Peabody Award, a duPont-Columbia Award, a National Headliner Award and a Sigma Delta Chi Award from the Society of Professional Journalists.
Block has covered Hurricane Katrina, the Virginia Tech shootings and the attacks on the World Trade Center on 9/11, among other breaking news stories.
"We’re thrilled that one of the most recognizable NPR personalities will be here to share her unique perspective on recent events in China," said WUKY news director Alan Lytle, who will moderate the event. "I would encourage everybody who values NPR’s commitment to great journalism to take advantage of this rare opportunity."
"Reporting from China: an Evening with NPR’s Melissa Block" is sponsored by the UK Asia Center and co-sponsored by the School of Journalism and WUKY. While she is on campus, Block also will talk to UK students studying journalism and tour the WUKY station.
"I'm sure most of UK's students could stand to hear more about China and its culture," said UK freshman journalism major Emily Cedargren, who lived in Beijing her last two years of high school. "It's a very strange place to be a reporter due to all of the censorship, which has left a great impression on me and a greater appreciation for US freedoms."
Block will discuss her 2008 experience and comment on the similarities and differences in disaster reporting in China and the US, according to Herron. "We would also like to hear what stories Ms. Block thinks still need to be covered in China and what advice she has for our students who would like to be journalists or do other work in China," she said.
Block's talk coincides with the Asia Center’s work to expand UK's Chinese Program as well as the 2010 Cultural Diversity Festival.
Four years of Chinese language courses are now available at UK and a new Chinese language undergraduate major is under development to begin in January 2011. The Asia Center has forged a relationship with Shanghai University, and two summer programs will be held there this year (one in Chinese language and one in journalism).
The 2010 Cultural Diversity Festival, Feb. 22 to April 10, features many cultures with events including concerts, performance theatre, interactive workshops and scholarly lectures. The festival promotes cultural awareness, highlights the wealth of diversity represented at UK and strives to engage all students, faculty and staff as well as the Lexington community, by fostering dialogue, encouraging new experiences and promoting unity.
Both the UK and Lexington communities are invited to experience these cultural and educational programs. All festival activities are open to the public, and most are free. For details, visit the Cultural Diversity’s Web site at http://www.uky.edu/DiversityFestival/ or follow the CDF on Twitter at UKCDF.
For more information, please contact Herron at shana.herron@uky.edu or 859 257-7858.