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23/01/2006

Canada to hold McLuhan Forum in Bacolod City

The Embassy of Canada and the University of St. La Salle (USLS) will hold the "McLuhan Forum on Responsible Media" at the Balay Kalinungan at the USLS campus on Friday, January 27, 2006 at 9:30 a.m.

Guest speaker will be Yvonne Chua, training director of the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) and winner of the Embassy of Canada's 2005 McLuhan Prize for Investigative Journalism.  Ms. Chua will give a presentation on "Media and Technology in Times of Crisis."  She will also be presenting a comparison between the practices of investigative reporting in Canada and the Philippines based on her recent fellowship and interaction with her media counterparts in Canada.  She will also give insights on how investigative journalism affects political and social governance.  The forum will also provide the venue for her to share her Canadian and Philippine experiences with aspiring journalists and local media. 

"A strong and responsible media is an important component of good governance," said Canadian Ambassador Peter Sutherland.  "Canada was pleased to be able to recognize excellent Filipino journalists through the awarding of its McLuhan Prize for Investigative Journalism."

As the McLuhan Prize winner, Ms. Chua went to Vancouver, Toronto, and Montreal courtesy of Air Canada and Cebu Pacific to exchange ideas with her media counterparts and to explore contemporary social and political issues with prominent members of Canadian government and society.  She sat as a fellow at the McLuhan Programme for Culture and Technology at the University of Toronto and discussed current trends in Philippine media, society and politics.

Launched by the Embassy of Canada in 1997, the McLuhan Prize is awarded annually to a Filipino journalist who has published an outstanding piece of investigative reporting. The prize is a collaborative effort of the Embassy of Canada, the Center  for Media Freedom and Responsibility, the Asia-Pacific Foundation of Canada and Air Canada.

Previous recipients of the McLuhan Prize include Ramon Magsaysay Awardee Sheila Coronel, Luz Rimban, and Tess Bacalla of the PCIJ, Miriam Grace Go of Newsbreak Magazine, Ellen Tordesillas of Malaya, and Armand Nocum of the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

January  23, 2006
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For details, please contact:
Carlo Figueroa
Public Affairs Officer
tel: (02) 8579026
email: carlo.figueroa@international.gc.ca
www.manila.gc.ca