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Journalism Organisations from 11 Countries Create Network

Representatives of 23 journalism organisations from 11 countries in North, Central, and South America gathered 12-13 February 2004 in Austin, Texas, for the Second Austin Forum on Journalism in the Americas. Participants took part in a training session to strengthen the capacities of their organisations, and proposed creating a permanent network dedicated to improving journalism throughout the hemisphere.

The Austin Forum, a project of the Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas at the University of Texas, was originally conceived as an annual gathering of independent journalism organisations. However, participants at this year's event agreed to turn the Forum into a permanent network of associations, which will maintain a dialogue throughout the year, through the Internet, seeking more collaborations.

Participants included journalists from Colombia, Mexico, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, El Salvador, Trinidad, and the United States, as well as representatives of the Avina Foundation, the Inter-American Development Bank, and the McCormick Tribune Foundation.

The Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas was created at the University of Texas in August 2002. Its main objective is to help journalists in the hemisphere to develop self-sustaining training programs that will raise the ethical and professional levels of journalism in the Americas.

For more information, visit: http://knightcenter.utexas.edu