UK Confucius Institute and Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues Host Sino-U.S. Media Seminar

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Jan. 9, 2015) — The University of Kentucky Confucius Institute and the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues at the UK College of Communication and Information, along with the Community Edition of the XinMin Evening News, the largest evening newspaper in Shanghai, is hosting the second Sino-U.S. Community Media Seminar Friday, Jan. 9, at the UK Boone Center. The seminar was preceded by a visit to the Lexington Herald-Leader and the Danville Advocate-Messenger on Thursday.

You You, a professor at Shanghai University and a visiting scholar with the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues in 2012-13, proposed the event after researching the relationship of the Manchester Enterprise to its readership in Clay County. Chinese newspapers are developing community editions to increase their readership, market share and income, and many government officials see community newspapers as a way to achieve their goals for their jurisdictions. The first Sino-U.S. Community Media Seminar was held in Shanghai in the spring of 2013.

About 12 Chinese journalists and newspaper executives, plus six local Chinese government officials, are joining about 25 American journalists and academics for the seminar. Participants from UK include Dean Dan O'Hair, College of Communication and Information; Beth Barnes, professor and director of the School of Journalism and telecommunications; Zixue Tai, associate professor in the School of Journalism and Telecommunications; Huajing Maske, director of the UK Confucius Institute, and Jie Dai, staff member of the Confucius Institute.

“While the United States and China have very different government and media systems, it’s important for people of those systems in the nations with the world’s two largest economies to understand how the other country operates,”  said Al Cross, director of the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues. “The institute is very happy to help Chinese editors and publishers understand the workings of community journalism in the U.S., where it is probably stronger than anywhere else in the world. Also, connections with China are UK’s top international priority.”

The event is by invitation only, but a free discussion by the participants on Friday afternoon will be videotaped for later broadcast. It will be moderated by Buck Ryan, associate professor in the School of Journalism and Telecommunications, and Bill Goodman, host of public affairs programs on Kentucky Educational Television. 

MEDIA CONTACT: Ann Blackford at 859-323-6442 or ann.blackford@uky.edu