Journalism professor calls for progressive journalists to tackle racism.Richard Lance Keeble, Professor of Journalism at the University of Lincoln, UK, highlighted the role of the media in promoting multiculturalism at the opening session of the conference “Learning to live in a multi-cultural world”, organised by Initiatives of Change, Caux, Switzerland, 2 July 2010. Read the full text of his talk here.

We are delighted to announce the imminent publication of Media Values.

Shortly before his death in 2009 Bill Porter suggested the publication of a book in which colleagues could highlight in many different ways the fundamental principles of the ICF. Media Values is that book, drawing together 29 chapters inspired by Bill Porter - a timely celebration of his life and his inspirational campaign.

Commenting on the book, Sir David Bell, recently retired chairman of theFinancial Times writes: “This is an impressive book inspired by a remarkable man who was devoted to the simple idea that the media can have high standards and prepared to campaign tirelessly to make this idea come alive. As this book shows, his impact was considerable and the torch which he lit is burning stronger than ever.”

Media Values is edited by Professor Richard Keeble, University of Lincoln, and published by Troubador Publishing in their Communication Ethics series. The book will be available from November 2010. Click here for more details.

For Sri Lankan journalist Sonali Samarasinghe, it was a night to remember when she accepted on 21 April on behalf of her late husband, Lasantha Wickramatunga, the 2009 Freedom of the Press award from the National Press Club in Washington. He was murdered on 8 January 2009 after predicting he would be in a now-famous editorial to run, as it was, after his death. He had been relentless in exposing wrongdoing in the government as editor-in-chief of the Sunday Leader in Colombo.

The ICF will be actively represented in three of this year’s Caux conferences, to be held at the Initiatives of Change centre in the Alpine village of Caux, Switzerland in July and August.

Never before has Poland lived through such an emotional time. Even the trauma following Pope John Paul II’s death was not so intense. Thousands and thousands of people have come to the presidential palace, bringing, in tears and prayers, flowers and candles. It takes an estimated 13 hours of waiting in line to pay tribute for a few seconds in front of the coffins of President Lech Kaczynski and his wife Maria. People are still flowing in from all over Poland.

Bernard Margueritte, President of the International Communications Forum and well-known broadcaster in Poland, delivered a speech on ‘Family - Media - Development’ during an international conference entitled ‘Poland for the Family, the Family for Poland’ in the Polish Parliament, held 9-10 March.

The Times' website, under its faith section, reports yesterday's latest launch of Michael Henderson's book No Enemy to Conquer at a Greencoat Forum in the London centre of Initiatives of Change. Under the headline 'Forgiveness is the key to bringing peace in Northern Ireland', Cheryl Gallagher reports Henderson's emphasis that 'forgiveness far from being just a personal or religious matter can affect the life of nations'.

Four British journalists spoke about media ethics when they were invited to address students at the Lincoln School of Journalism at the University of Lincoln, UK, on 1 March.

Part of Ottawa's multicultural community is an organization called Dream-Keepers which keeps alive the ‘dream' of Revd Martin Luther King Jr. that all races would live together one day in harmony. Every January, on or near the anniversary of King's birthday, Dream-Keepers celebrates with a public meeting in Ottawa City Hall and the presentation of a plaque honoring someone who has done outstanding work in promoting racial harmony. In January 2010 the award went to Ewart Walters for his role ‘as a community leader and vocal advocate for justice’.

The power of the Indian newsweekly Himmat, an English-language paper published in Mumbai by Rajmohan Gandhi from 1964 to 1981, was ‘the power of the ideas it represented’, said Kumar Ketkar, editor of Loksatta, the largest circulation Marathi-language daily in the state of Maharashtra.