Despite more content being shared through various media outlets than ever before, the issue of whose stories are being told or highlighted remains a persistent issue. And as our personal use of online spaces become ever more tailored to our individual preferences through algorithmic-reinforcements, the possibility of exchanging from outside our traditional circles is becoming harder. Is there still a way for our media and social media platforms to be used as tools to expose its users to a variety of cultural influences and experiences – from fashion to dance to customs? How can we create safe online communities that bring users with different backgrounds, together instead of dividing them into siloed echo chambers? What is the best way to tell stories of people from different backgrounds for the audiences at home?
This event brings together industry leaders, academics, and creatives to discuss how our media landscape can best share a more diverse range of stories, art forms, and creative endeavours, moving beyond a surface level ‘diversity’ to environments that facilitate intercultural exchange.
The Aspen Institute UK, in partnership with the Khalili Foundation, explore these pertinent questions. It is part of the wider World Festival of Cultural Diversity which, in association with UNESCO, is bringing together various intellectual and creative initiatives in collective celebration of our world’s cultures.
ON THE PANEL:
Marcus Ryder – Marcus is the Head of External Consultancies at the Sir Lenny Henry Centre for Media Diversity, which was set up to explore and increase diversity across the industry including journalism, acting, film, TV and radio in both front-of-house and behind the scenes roles. He is also the Chair of RADA (Royal Academy of Dramatic Art) and is the author of “Access All Areas – the Diversity Manifesto for TV and Beyond” and the Editor of “Black British Lives Matter”. He was previously Chair of the Royal Television Society Diversity Committee and is currently a trustee at the Press Pad Charitable Foundation. Awarded an MBE for his services to media diversity, he was recently named as one of the most influential figures in the entertainment industry globally by the Variety500.
Meera Selva – Meera is Chief Executive of Internews Europe, a non-profit that supports independent journalism in over 100 countries. She is also a senior research associate of the Reuters Institute and an associate fellow of Green Templeton College at the University of Oxford, as well as a member of the Centre for Economic Policy Research. She was previously the Deputy Director of the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism and is a co-founder of the Oxford Climate Journalism Network. She is an experienced journalist who has reported from the field across Europe, Asia, and sub-Saharan Africa, including several years at the Associated Press.