The Daily Plan-it / Dean of Students Blog, Columbia J-school

All Journalism students and faculty are invited to this public lecture.

Dr. Amien Rais:
Islam and Democracy in Indonesia: Some Major Problems I faced as a Muslim Democratic Activist and How I Addressed Them.

Date: Wednesday, February 7, 2007
Time: 4-6pm
Location: Room 1501, International Affairs Building
Columbia University

Dr. Amien Rais, former chairman of Indonesia’s largest modernist Islamic Organization Muhammadiyah (25-30 million members) became a leading democratic activist in the 1997 and 1998 demonstrations against President Suharto. He later served as Speaker of the People’s Consultative Assembly during the round of constitutional reforms that revived and amended Indonesia’s democratic 1945 constitution.

In his talk, Amien Rais will discuss his role as the leader of a multi-milllion Muslim constituency during the last years of the New Order and address some of the difficulties he faced in his pro-democratic struggle.

Dr. Rais received a PhD from the University of Chicago in 1984 and an MA from the University of Notre Dame.

A reception, co-sponsored by SIPA’s Center for the Study of Democracy, Toleration and Religion (CDTR), and the Weatherhead East Asian Institute (WEAI), will follow the lecture.

You are invited to this SIPA event. Eason Jordan will be joined by his
colleague, Anna Shen, J-school 1993 graduate. Anna’s e-mail: annashen[at]hotmail.com

Brown Bag lunch on Thursday, Feb 8, 12:30-1:30PM
International Affairs Building - Room 410
420 West 118th St

“Media, Violence and the Iraq War” with Eason Jordan, Former CNN
executive and founder of the IraqSlogger news site.

Jordan will discuss press coverage of the Iraq War, the dangers
journalists face there and what we can expect as the situation
continues to deteriorate.

A frequent visitor to Iraq, Jordan worked for 23 years with CNN,
where he rose through the ranks to become the network’s Chief News
Executive and President of Newsgathering and International
Networks. Jordan oversaw CNN’s news coverage, global expansion, and
international relations. He orchestrated CNN’s award-winning
reporting of the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, former Yugoslavia, and
Somalia. He also directed CNN’s coverage of the September 11, 2001
terrorist attacks, the collapse of the Soviet Union, and the 1989
crackdown in Tiananmen Square. He traveled around the world on
behalf of CNN and reported on-air himself from such countries as
Iraq and North Korea. After two of his CNN colleagues were killed
by insurgents in Iraq in 2004, Jordan co-founded and co-chaired the
Iraq News Safety Group, and on behalf of the Group met senior
U.S.and Iraqi officials to address the safety concerns of news
organizations whose journalists report from Iraq.

Sponsored by the International Media and Communications
Concentration

ASIA PACIFIC AFFAIRS COUNCIL
WEATHERHEAD EAST ASIAN INSTITUTE

Cordially invite you to network with industry professionals at the
Media Career Event

Panelists:
Fred Katayama, J’83, Award winning CNN correspondent –
Currently anchor at Reuters Television

Susan Berfield
Associate Editor, Businessweek

Oisika Chakrabarti
Officer, U.N. Department of Public Information

Paul Cohen
Vice President, Corporate
Ketchum Public Relations, NYC

Alejandro Reyes
Former Asiaweek journalist –
Currently freelance writer and consultant

Questions: Contact Amy Ahn at - asa6@columbia.edu

JUST SHOW UP!

Co-sponsored by the International Media & Communications Concentration