The meeting was organized for Indonesian and Norwegian journalists and media professionals to prepare for the second Global Inter-Media Dialogue which will take place in Oslo this year, according to the Indonesia’s English newspaper the Jakarta Post.
The two-day meeting was opened by Indonesia’s Foreign Ministry Secretary General Imron Cotan, and Deputy Director of the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Tine Morck Smith.
Foreign Ministry officials from Norway and Indonesia were also present to facilitate the meeting and to choose a theme for the second gathering and formulate a list of speakers and invitees.
However, the roles of government officials from the two countries are limited to facilitating the meeting, it is left to journalists and media professionals to determine the agenda of the Oslo meeting.
Also at the meeting were Bambang Harymurti of Indonesia’s Tempo group and Siri Lill Mannes, a Norwegian TV news anchor. Representatives from New Zealand, Belgium and Russia were also present.
The first Global Inter-Media Dialogue meeting took place in Bali last year following the backdrop of freedom expression on the Danish cartoon controversy, which led to massive protests in the Muslim world in early 2006. It successfully drew 80 journalists and media professionals from around the world.
The Bali meeting agreed on the need for the media to be more culturally sensitive in the face of an increasingly connected and interdependent world.
The two countries aim to share a common goal to contribute to bridging gaps between different religions, cultures and people.
The Global Inter-Media Dialogue is a forum for leading media actors from more than 40 different countries and cultures to discuss ways and means of promoting freedom of expression and greater tolerance. The dialogue will give participants on outstanding opportunity to exchange experiences, and define the challenges and issues confronting the media in the 21st century.
For further information about the dialogue, please visit http://www.intermediadialogue.org/
