Two public discussions exploring crime, media and journalism ethics are among more than 40 public lectures and forums during UBC Okanagan’s Celebrate Research Week, March 3 to 10.
In a special UBC Okanagan Talk of the Town presentation next Monday night (7:30 p.m., Mar. 5), Dr. Stephen Ward, Director of UBC’s School of Journalism, will speak on the topic, What is Responsible Journalism? Journalistic Ethics in the Wired World at the Kelowna Art Gallery. The Talk of the Town series is moderated by Hal Wake, former host of CBC Radio’s The Early Edition.
On Thursday evening (7 p.m., Mar. 8), also at the Kelowna Art Gallery, an expert panel discussion entitledCrime, Technology and the Media: Oh What a Tangled Web They Weave, will examine the impact of technology on crime, crime reporting and public opinion. The panelists are:
- Dr. Mary Lynn Young, Assoc. Prof. of Journalism at UBC Vancouver, who will speak on the topic of “what is relevant detail in media coverage of the Robert Pickton trial?”
- Gary Symons, CBC News correspondent, who will tell his story about a publication ban that ruined a man’s life and prevented the media from reporting it.
- Dr. Michael Woodworth, Asst. Prof. of Psychology at UBC Okanagan, who will speak about how technology both enhances and impedes the quest for justice.
These Monday and Wednesday evening events are free but seating is limited and pre-registration is required. Go online to www.ubc.ca/okanagan/celebrateresearch, or call UBC Okanagan at 250.807.8000.
Throughout the week on the UBC Okanagan campus, faculty and graduate students from Arts and Sciences, Health and Social Development, Creative and Critical Studies, and Education will deliver free public lectures. Topics range from the economic impact of rebuilding the Kettle Valley Railway’s burned trestles to how the Central Okanagan is addressing the issues of homelessness.
“This is an extraordinary showcase of the research underway at UBC Okanagan,” says Dr. Alaa Abd-El-Aziz, UBC Okanagan Associate Vice President, Academic and Research, and one of the week’s presenters. “Our faculty and students conduct research in an impressive array of disciplines, and Celebrate Research Week is an opportunity to share that research with the entire Okanagan community.”
All lectures are free and everyone is welcome. For complete details about Celebrate Research Week, visit the website at www.ubc.ca/okanagan/celebrateresearch.
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