Discussion transcends boundaries

China is known for the restrictions it imposes on the media, but there were no barriers Wednesday night at the Radio and Television services building, where 20 IU students engaged in a videoconference with 15 Chinese journalists in Beijing. \nThe event, a cooperative effort between IU Associate Professor of Journalism Steven Raymer and the U.S. Embassy in China, allowed the two parties to ask each other questions concerning journalistic practices in their respective countries.\nFor 90 minutes, issues ranging from journalistic ethics to differences in reporting styles were discussed. Live video streamed from the American Center in Beijing and was protected from restrictions that the Chinese government imposes on the media.\nThe discussion provided a forum for ideas. Raymer described the assembly as a "town hall meeting."\nRaymer said he was worried they would not have enough to say but toward the end realized they "could've talked for two more hours."\n"The global flow of news wouldn't be anything without technology," he said.\nThe event was the first of its kind for the School of Journalism. \nThe students, who are currently taking Raymer's International News Gathering Systems course, were also joined by students from the East Asian Languages and Cultures department.\nYe Zhang, a graduate student from China studying journalism and public affairs, said she believed the discussion went quite smoothly. \n"I think it was quite honest and candid," she said. \nThe discussion provided students with valuable first-hand experience about the Chinese media in an unrestricted setting. \nThe Chinese journalists also gained knowledge from the experience.\nThe discussion took place at the American Center in Beijing, which meant it was protected from the scrutiny and restrictions the Chinese media legally imposes on journalists. In China, the Communist party censors the media. Journalists are at risk of being imprisoned, tortured and harassed in China if they do not respect the laws.\nCamille Purvis, a public diplomacy officer at the U.S. embassy in Beijing, acted as a mediator on the Chinese side of the discussion. She said one of the valuable experiences the Chinese journalists walked away with Wednesday was the ability "to see real faces to represent real people who are studying the same kinds of issues these journalists deal with every day -- allowing them to see Americans as people rather than just an image they conjure up from movies and news reports." \nFor the same price as a guest speaker, the students were able to interact with foreign professionals and gain knowledgeable insight on how two different countries with different cultures, languages and governments could be merged by technology. \n-- Contact staff writer Stephanie Frasco at sfrasco@indiana.edu.