Event series: Outside, looking in

This February, the association journalists.network e.V., in collaboration with the German-Chinese Media Network and supported by the Bosch Alumni Network, invites you to "Outside, looking in", a series of three events dealing with the challenges of increasing restrictions and lack of access to China, but also to other parts of the world where the work of journalists and researchers is in danger:


1) Free Webinar: Secrets of Satellites by Nathan Ruser

18 February 2023, online

10 am - 1 pm CET / 5 - 8 pm China time

As the Chinese government is increasingly restricting access to reporting on the ground, satellite data can offer journalists opportunities for independent investigations and unique visual storytelling. Satellite images providing evidence for the mass incarceration of the Uyghurs in Xinjiang is just one powerful example of possibilities. But what do you need to know if you want to start using satellite data in your reporting? In this hands-on webinar speaker Nathan Ruser will introduce you to the possibilities and limitations of satellite data. You will learn about best practices, access to satellite data and what mistakes to avoid.

Nathan Ruser is an author at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute and focuses on Middle Eastern Affairs and Transnational Terrorism. He is one of the world’s leading analysts of satellite data and documents from Xinjiang.

Afterwards we invite all participants for dinner and drinks in Beijing.


2) Free Webinar: Open Source Analysis of Chinese Politics by Manoj Kewalramani

25 February 2023, in Berlin and online

9 am - 12 pm CET / 4 - 7 pm China time

China’s rise is reshaping the global economy and international relations. At the same time, Chinese domestic politics and economic policies are undergoing significant change. All of this is happening at a time when the CCP is increasingly tightening control over access to information for journalists and researchers inside and outside China. This webinar will provide you with the tools to understand Chinese political frameworks and the language of the CCP. You will learn to make better usage of open source information available from outside China to think and report on the country.

Manoj Kewalramani heads the China Studies Programme and is the Chairperson of the Indo-Pacific Research Programme at the Takshashila Institution. He is also a senior associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Before turning to academia, he worked for over a decade as a journalist in both India and China. Since 2020, Kewalramani publishes a daily newsletter translating and analysing discourse from the People’s Daily (https://trackingpeoplesdaily.substack.com/).

Like the following panel discussion on 25 February (see below), the webinar will take place both in Berlin (International Alumni Center, Linienstraße 65a) and online.

Between the workshop and the debate, we invite you to a joint lunch in Berlin at 12:30 pm. From 2:30 pm there will be coffee and drinks at the International Alumni Center.


3) Panel discussion: What increasing restrictions mean for international reporting on China

25 February 2023, in Berlin and online

3 pm - 4:30 pm CET / 10 - 11:30 pm China time

In many countries, governments have tightened state restrictions to make the work of journalists more difficult. This particularly affects reporters working internationally, who in many cases no longer receive journalist visas or are expelled from their reporting areas. The pandemic served as a welcome pretext for governments to restrict press freedom and close borders for independent researchers. In addition, media budgets are shrinking, making it harder for foreign reporting to make a living.


Discussion participants:

• Katja Drinhausen, head of program, Merics Institute

• Rune Steenberg, researcher focusing on Uyghurs, XUAR and Central Asia, Palacký University Olomouc

• Lea Sahay, China correspondent, Süddeutsche Zeitung

• Summer Chen, Chief Editor of Taiwan FactCheck Center

Felix Lee (China.Table and German-Chinese Media Network) will be moderating the discussion.


Like the previous webinar on 25 February (see above), the webinar will take place both in Berlin (International Alumni Center, Linienstraße 65a) and online.

Between the workshop and the debate, we invite you to a joint lunch in Berlin at 12:30 pm. From 2:30 pm there will be coffee and drinks at the International Alumni Center.


Registration:

We ask you for a binding registration with a note on your own background and your interest in the event via email to: mail@journalists-network.org

The registration deadline is 16 February 2023.

Registration for a single webinar or only the discussion event is possible.

Participants in Beijing and Berlin are invited to a dinner or lunch together. More information will follow upon registration.


The event series "Outside, looking in" is organised by journalists.network e.V. in Berlin, an association of journalists dedicated to promoting foreign reporting, and the German-Chinese Media Network. The conference is supported by the Bosch Alumni Network.