Speakers share insights on China

May 2008 - Journalists from around the nation attended a May 14 workshop, “China and the Olympics: Religion and Human Rights,” co-sponsored by MU’s Center on Religion & the Professions. The event, held at The National Press Club in Washington., D.C., attracted journalists from both the secular and religious press.

The free seminar aimed to equip journalists for covering issues such as human rights, religious freedom and the Beijing Olympics - reporting in China or from the U.S. It featured renowned scholars and experts who shared tips on framing stories, historical background, trends, finding sources and adding context when covering this complex and influential nation.

• Podcasts from “China and the Olympics: Religion and Human Rights” are available via iTunes. For help downloading the files, contact Tiffany McCallen at McCallen@RNA.org.

Speakers were:

• Fenggang Yang, associate professor of sociology at Purdue University who specializes in religious change in China and its social and political implications. He presented a PowerPoint on “Religious Trends in China Today And their Social and Political Implications.”
• Ming Wan, professor of government and politics and director of the Global Affairs Program at George Mason University. He is the author of “Human Rights in Chinese Foreign Relations: Defining and Defending National Interests” and spoke on “China, Human Rights, and Western Media ‘Bias’ – A Global Perspective.”
• Robert Thurman, president of the American Institute of Buddhist Studies and the Tibet House U.S., and the Jey Tsong Khapa Professor of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies in the Department of Religion at Columbia University. He is the author of several books, most recently, “Why the Dalai Lama Matters: His Act of Truth as the Solution for China.” He spoke on “Tibet and the Dalai Lama.”
• Bob Dietz, Asia Program coordinator for the Committee to Protect Journalists, which promotes press freedom worldwide and has published a report on China and the press for the Olympics. He spoke on press freedom and tips for working as a journalist in China.
• Carol Lee Hamrin, research professor at George Mason University and senior associate with the Global China Center in Charlottesville, Va. She specializes in religious rights policy issues in China and co-edited “God and Caesar in China: Policy Implications of Church-State Tensions.” She spoke on religious policy and religious freedom.
• Stephen Angle, associate professor of philosophy at Wesleyan University. He is the author of “Human Rights and Chinese Thought: A Cross-Cultural Inquiry” and maintains a web page on human rights in China. He spoke on the history of human rights in China and current challenges.

The workshop was co-sponsored with the Religion Newswriters Association and the Henry Luce Foundation. The Center on Religion & the Professions is an affiliate of the Missouri School of Journalism at University of Missouri.

See additional resources on China, the Olympics, religion and human rights.

Debra Mason, director of the Center on Religion & the Professions, introduces speakers at the event.	Fenggang Yang speaks about religious change in China.
Yang shared extensive information about religious trends in China and what they may mean for today and the future.	Ming Wan presents a global perspective on Western media “bias.”
Robert Thurman shares his experiences with the Dalai Lama and recommendations for resolution in Tibet.	Journalists from around the country attended the event, which provided time for questions and to meet the speakers.
Yang visits with an attendee during a break.	Wan and Stephen Angle compare notes.
Bob Dietz speaks about the state of press freedom in China.	Carole Lee Hamrin talks about how Chinese cultural identity influences religious policy, freedom and responses.
Angle summarizes the history of human rights in China compared to other nations and current challenges.