For immediate release – Jan. 11, 2008

Roundtable at JCU features Al-Jazeera bureau chief
Will Stebbins, the Washington bureau chief of Al-Jazeera, will analyze the current state of world media and the U.S. response to the new information universe at a free, public media roundtable discussion sponsored by the Cleveland Council on World Affairs and John Carroll University. Stebbins will be replacing David Marash, who is on assignment by the network.

Area professional journalists will join Stebbins in exploring issues of accuracy and access to current news and news organizations. Among the questions: “Is the U.S. locking itself out of the new information universe? Why?”

The program will run from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 22, in the Donahue Auditorium of the Dolan Center for Science and Technology at the JCU campus at 20700 North Park Blvd., University Heights. A short, informal reception will follow in the Dolan Atrium.

Also at the roundtable will be:
Elizabeth Sullivan, columnist and editorial writer, The Plain Dealer
Mona DeBaz, lecturer in international relations in the Department of Political Science at John Carroll University
Fatina Salaheddine, editor and publisher, Al-Sahafa, Cleveland
Cynthia Dettelbach, editor, Cleveland Jewish News
Tim White, anchor, WKYC-TV3, Cleveland
David Knox, reporter, Akron Beacon Journal

Richard D. Hendrickson, JCU associate professor of Communication and Theatre Arts, will serve as moderator, and Pamela A. Mason, associate professor of Political Science, will introduce the panel and program.

Stebbins moved to Al-Jazeera from Associated Press Television News (APTN) where he was regional editor, overseeing the management of all of APTN's Latin American news. He joined the channel prior to the network’s launch and he oversees coverage of North and South America. He is multi-lingual and brings a wealth of broadcast experience from his previous roles as regional executive for APTN in Miami, senior producer for APTN in Havana and bureau chief for Worldwide Television News in Cairo.

For more information, contact Linda Clark, director of global programming, Cleveland Council on World Affairs, 812 Huron Road, Suite 620, Cleveland, Ohio 44115, or call 216-781-3730 x125.