Jacquie Golding-Duffy
Labour Party leader Tony Blair is expected to address the Commonwealth’s biennial conference to be held in South Africa in October.
Chairperson of the organising committee and Cape Times editor Moegsien Williams says the conference is significant as it is the first time since South Africa walked out of the Commonwealth in the early Sixties that local editors will be afforded an opportunity of linking up with British and European editors.
The conference is taking place in Cape Town from October 13 to 19. Guest speakers include legendary editor of The Washington Post Ben Bradlee, and human rights activist Harry Wu. Local celebrities include President Nelson Mandela, who will officially be opening the ceremony, as well as Deputy President Thabo Mbeki and Reserve Bank governor Chris Stals.
Williams says the Commonwealth Press Union conference is a “double affair” with a three-day workshop to be held the week before the conference.
Thirty to 40 editors from Commonwealth countries have been invited to attend the seminar which will be conducted at the University of the Western Cape by experienced lecturers on journalism.
Williams says a lot can be gained by local editors mingling with leading newspaper people from abroad. “Our editors will be able to personally inform foreign editors of what is happening locally”, he says, adding that foreign publications have a tendency to always report negatively on South Africa.
Foreign publications, he argues, tend to focus on crime and the National Party pulling out of politics rather than reporting on some of the positive aspects in South Africa.