Bangkok, Thailand, 6 September 2006
For immediate release
Asian Newspapers Target Young Readers
Newspapers from twelve Asian and Pacific countries gathered in Bangkok this
week to share strategies and best practices on the critical issue of
attracting young people to newspapers.
The Second Asian Young Readers Roundtable drew participants from newspapers
in Australia, Indonesia, India, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, The
Philippines, Thailand and Singapore, with observers from China, Laos, and
Cambodia. The first event was held in Korea in 2005.
"We are especially pleased that observers are attending who can help teach
the young about the key role newspapers can have building democracy," said
Aralynn McMane, Director of Young Readership Development for the World
Association of Newspapers, which organised the conference with the Norwegian
paper manufacturer Norske Skog, and the National Press Council of Thailand.
Among other topics, participants discussed regional cooperation, the role of
the newspaper in democracy, and the main challenges for attracting young
people to the print product in a world with so many choices for news and
information. The seminar focused on younger reader programmes, especially
Newspapers in Education projects, and their potential impact on newspaper
readership.
Torpong Thongcharoen, Sales Director of Norske Skog in Thailand, said:
"newspapers play a vital role in familiarising the younger generation with
printed media and communication. As a responsible corporate citizen, we can
and must be proactive in promoting education and literacy. This NIE
programme is a key part of such efforts."
The workshop was part of the WAN Newspapers in Education Development
project, which includes a wide-range of programmes for using newspapers and
magazines all over the world. The project, funded by Norske Skog, organizes
conferences and seminars all over the world and has created an international
Young Reader passport to encourage reading among the young.
For more information on WAN Young Reader and NIE initiatives, consult
http://www.wan-press.org/nie/home.php
WAN is also organizing the 7th World Young Reader Conference, to be held in
Washington, DC, USA, from 25 to 28 September 2007.
For more on the conference, go to: http://www.wan-press.org/washington
The Paris-based WAN, the global organisation for the newspaper industry,
defends and promotes press freedom world-wide. It represents 18,000
newspapers; its membership includes 72 national newspaper associations,
individual newspaper executives in 102 countries, 11 news agencies and nine
regional and world-wide press groups.
Inquiries to: Larry Kilman, Director of Communications, WAN, 7 rue Geoffroy
St Hilaire, 75005 Paris France.
Tel: +33 1 47 42 85 00
Fax: +33 1 47 42 49 48
Mobile: +33 6 10 28 97 36
E-mail: lkilman@wan.asso.fr
_________________________________________
Chris Schuepp
Young People's Media Network - Coordinator
Youth Media Consulting GbR
c/o ECMC (European Centre for Media Competence)
Bergstr. 8 / 11th floor
D-45770 Marl - Germany
Tel./Fax: +49 2365 502480
Mobile: +49 176 23107083
Email: cschuepp@unicef.org
URL: www.unicef.org/magic
Mailing list: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/youthful-media
The YPMN is supported by UNICEF and hosted by the ECMC.
The opinions and views expressed in this message and/or articles & websites
linked to from this message do not necessarily reflect the views of the
United Nations or its agencies.
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