NMC’s International Affairs Forum will discuss press freedom around the world on Wednesday, May 10 at 6:30 p.m. in the Milliken Auditorium at the Dennos Museum Center. IAF will welcome to the stage career journalists Joyce Barnathan and Gene Gibbons. Joyce Barnathan was president of the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) for 15 years where she helped advocate for quality journalism on the forefront of a changing media landscape. Previously, Barnathan served as the executive editor, Global Franchise, for BusinessWeek. Before that, she served as the Asia regional editor and Hong Kong bureau manager.

Barnathan came to BusinessWeek from Newsweek, where she served as State Department correspondent, Moscow Bureau Chief, and Special Projects Correspondent covering presidential elections.

Barnathan holds a bachelor’s degree in Russian and Chinese studies and a master’s degree in Asian studies from Washington University, as well as a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Missouri. She is the winner of five Overseas Press Club Awards, including three as part of BusinessWeek’s Asia team, as well as the National Headliner Award. She is a trustee of the Arthur F. Burns Fellowships Program and serves on the steering committee of the Global Forum for Media Development.

Barnathan is committed to strengthening the news media to ensure that we all enjoy vibrant, democratic societies.

Gene Gibbons covered Presidents Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, George H.W. Bush and Clinton during a 40-year career as a political journalist. Gibbons is a former Reuters’ chief White House correspondent and previously was a Washington-based United Press International (UPI) reporter.

Gibbons served on the board of the White House Correspondents Association and is a past president of the Radio-Television Correspondents Association. His career highlights include serving as a Presidential Debate panelist in 1992 and as a Joan M. Shorenstein Fellow at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government in 2010. He has appeared on The PBS NewsHour and other telecasts. Gibbons has written and released a memoir entitled BREAKING NEWS Six Presidents – The Queen – A Pope: A Life in Journalism.

The event at Milliken Auditorium is open to the public and will be available to livestream, including a public Q&A. The event includes a welcome reception with refreshments at 5:30 p.m..

In-person tickets are required and available for purchase at TCIAF.com or at the door for $15 per person. Attendance for students and educators is free. Registration is required to livestream.

For in-person tickets, livestream registration, and all event details, visit TCIAF.com.

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