The Macau Portuguese and English Press Association (AIPIM) celebrated yesterday (December 7) its 15th anniversary with a Cocktail Reception and Dinner at the Macau Military Club of Macau.
This was a special occasion, in which the presence of government representatives, diplomats, community leaders, members of civil society, dozens of representatives, journalists and friends from the Chinese, Portuguese and English media were present at the reception.
The dinner was attended by almost four dozen AIPIM members and contributors, in a truly meaningful gathering.
AIPIM’s Board of Directors thanks everyone for their presence and also the members who, not being able to participate, are an active and precious part of our AIPIM family.
AIPIM Board of Directors
The Macau Portuguese and English Press Association (AIPIM) held a Workshop for Journalists on Mobile Journalism, November 8, at Rui Cunha Foundation, between 10am and 1pm, as part of the AIPIM TRAINING SERIES.
A total of 16 AIPIM members joined a lively and instructive session hosted by Jarrod Wattt, South China Morning Post's Specialist Digital Editor and lecturer at Hong Kong Baptist University.
It was a truly inspiring and compelling session, which focused on new challenges and techniques to make the best out of digital journalism and social media.
AIPIM would like to express its deepest gratitude to Jarrod Watt and to those who joined the session.
AIPIM Board of Directors
The Macau Portuguese and English Press Association (AIPIM) has joined hands with University of Saint Joseph (USJ) to organize two training sessions on Media Law (in Portuguese) held on the 7th and 14th of July at USJ’s Ilha Verde campus from 9am to 1:30pm.
The guest speakers are highly regarded lawyers Jorge Menezes and Luís Pessanha.
Professor Joaquim Fidalgo joined us on the 8th and 9th of December to share his expertise on ethical challenges for journalists.
On Friday, December 8, Mr. Fidalgo, a Professor of Journalism at University of Minho (Portugal), gave an open lecture – the 5th of the AIPIM TALK SERIES - about the “Struggles on the Boundaries of Journalism”, followed by a lively Q&A session, attended by about 40 participants.
On the following day, Professor Fidalgo was the guest speaker of a Workshop for journalists – as part of the AIPIM TRAINING SERIES - held at Rui Cunha Foundation and attended by 20 journalists.
AIPIM would like to thank all of those who joined the events as well as those who could not make it due to personal of processional reasons but value the issues at stake. A special word, of course, for Professor Fidalgo who shared his vision with great wisdom and kindness.
We believe this was an important step in a wider conversation, which encompasses not only the journalistic community but also many other stakeholders in this process.
The Macau Portuguese and English Press Association (AIPIM) held a Workshop on Ethical Challenges for Journalists on November 25, at Rui Cunha Foundation, between 10am and 1pm. It was the first instalment of the newly launched AIPIM TRAINING SERIES.
A total of 28 AIPIM members joined a lively and instructive session hosted by Eric Wishart, head of Agence France-Press’s Special Projects and author of the agency’s new code of ethics. It was a truly inspiring and compelling session, which focused on some of the fundamentals of our work as journalists.
Eric Wishart shared his expertise and the rationale behind drafting AFP’s code of ethics before delving into controversial test cases, which prompted a lively debate. AIPIM would like to express its deepest gratitude to Eric Wishart and to those who joined the session.
The next round of the AIPIM TRAINING SERIES will be held on December 9 (10am/1pm;3pm-6m) also at Rui Cunha Foundation. Portuguese scholar, educator and journalist Joaquim Fidalgo will be joining us for a session also focused on journalism ethics.
The Macau Portuguese and English Press Association (AIPIM) has published on September 27 its first report on press freedom and access to sources of information (attached here) titled “Depiction of the freedom of the press and access to sources of information for working journalists”, an evaluation of a survey carried out by AIPIM among its members and journalists working for Portuguese and English media organizations. A total of 44 journalists filled in the questionnaires, accounting for almost 60 percent of the survey universe. The questionnaires were handled on a confidential basis by a third party committee comprising three experts: Frederico Rato, a well-known lawyer and veteran legal expert, José Manuel Simões, a former journalist, Assistant Professor of journalism the head of the University of Saint Joseph’s Communication & Media Department, and Rui Flores, an experienced former journalist. They were commissioned to draft a report based on the content of the questionnaires.
AIPIM’s Board of Directors would like to thank all of those who participated in this very first survey and would also like to express our deepest gratitude to the independent commission in charge of drafting the report - their contribution, which was pro-bono, was priceless.
The main conclusion of the survey points to a series of constraints with regards to access to sources of information. According to the report although 79% of the respondents say there is press freedom in Macau, three quarters of the surveyed journalists say they have experienced some form of restraint in their work as journalists, of political, economical, social, cultural or institutional nature, among others. Additionally, access to sources of information is commonly described as difficult. The situation is particularly serious when it comes to access to sources of information in the judicial and executive branches. With regards to the former more than two thirds (68%) deem it difficult, while concerning the latter the figure stands at 56%. Problems arise also in having access to information in the legislative branch, alongside the public administration in general. Respondents also point out a number of flaws and inadequacies within the Government spokesperson system, signalling a culture of lack of transparency.
AIPIM emphasizes that “without facilitated access to sources of information, the freedom of the press can be brought into question”, in line with is spelled out in the report. In other words, right to information and transparency are absolutely necessary conditions for a truly sound and unhindered freedom of the press. AIPIM urges the Macau SAR authorities to promote a culture of transparency at the different branches of power and at the public administration at large.
This survey is the first step towards a wider depiction of freedom of the press and access to sources in Macau. The next step will entail a more refined approach to better assess internal and external constraints, such as self-censorship, different types of pressure and other restraints.
The Macau Portuguese and English Press Association (AIPIM) celebrated its 12th anniversary on Saturday, July 8, at the Military Club of Macau. Our esteemed journalist and writer João Guedes, one of AIPIM's founding members, delivered a very interesting talk on the History of Macau's Portuguese Press. It was a truly meaningful event attended by more than six dozens of people from different communities who celebrated João Guedes's priceless contribution to the city's journalism and to preserve and cherish our collective Memory and memories.
The talk and cocktail reception were followed by a lively dinner joined by about three dozens of AIPIM members who celebrated our Association's first 12-year cycle.
We would like to thank first and foremost João Guedes for his knowledge, wisdom and for being a key reference to all of us. We would also like to thank those who attended Saturday's event and those who could not be present, but have been playing a role throughout the last 12 years.
July 8, 5:30pm, Sala Stanley Ho, Clube Militar de Macau
The Macau Portuguese and English Press Association (AIPIM) is celebrating its 12th anniversary. To commemorate such an important milestone, we are holding a special edition of AIPIM Talk Series. Our guest speaker is our founding member João Guedes, well-known and highly regarded journalist and writer who has been devoting his decades-long career to public service. He has authored a number of works on Macau’s society and the city’s idiosyncratic Contemporary History. The talk will focus on the History of Macau’s Portuguese Press. This event is organized in partnership with Clube Militar de Macau. Kindly note that the talk will be conducted in Portuguese.
The Macau Portuguese and English Press Association (AIPIM) is honoured to have Afonso Camões, editor-in-chief of Portugal’s leading newspaper Jornal de Notícias, as our guest speaker. The session will take place at 6:30pm, May 24, Wednesday, at the Military Club. This event is organized with the support of Clube Militar de Macau and weekly newspaper Plataforma. Kindly note that the talk will be conducted in Portuguese.
Afonso Camões is editor-in-chief of Jornal de Noticias since 2014. He has been a professional jounalist since 1979 and has worked for a number of publications including O Primeiro de Janeiro, O Jornal, Expresso and O Semanário. Afonso Camões was based in Macau between 1991 and 1999 where he was director of the Government Information Bureau (GCS). Back in Portugal, he was executive director of Controlinveste Media group (2005-2009) and President of the Executive Committee of Lusa - Portuguese News Agency (2009-2014).
The second session of the "AIPIM Talk Series" was held on Friday, May 12, at the Military Club. Our guest speaker, Eric Wishart, president of the Foreign Correspondents'' Club, Hong Kong, (FCC, HK) delivered a truly compelling and inspiring talk on "News Judgment, Fact-Checking and the Challenges of Fake News", followed by a lively Q&A session.
The Macau Portuguese and English Press Association (AIPIM) would like to thank, first and foremost, Eric Wishart, all those who joined the session and, of course, the Military Club for its priceless support and assistance.
Those who couldn't make it to Friday's session can watch the full video recording available at our (AIPIM's) Facebook page. We had our very first Facebook Live on Friday: https://www.facebook.com/517771914949271/videos/1421832084543245/ https://www.facebook.com/517771914949271/videos/1421849797874807/
You can also find photos of the event (by Gonçalo Lobo Pinheiro, member of our Board) here:
https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1422654134461040&id=517771914949271
The Macau Portuguese and English Press Association (AIPIM) is honoured to have Eric Wishart, president of the Foreign Correspondents’ Club, Hong Kong, as our guest speaker. The topic of his talk is “News Judgment, Fact-Checking and Fake News”. The eventwill take place at 6:30pm, May 12, Friday, at the Military Club.
Eric Wishart is a member of the global news management of Agence France-Presse and president of the Foreign Correspondents’ Club Hong Kong. He started his career back in the 1970s as a reporter in Scottish newspapers and joined AFP in Paris 1984. Since then Eric Wishart has been head of the Middle East English service (Nicosia, 1992-1996), Asia-Pacific editor (Hong Kong, 1996-1999), global editor-in-chief (Paris, 1999-2005) and Asia-Pacific director (2005-2012). He has drawn up new ethical and sourcing guidelines for AFP and has a particular interest in journalist training as he lectures part-time at Hong Kong Baptist University.
The first session of the "AIPIM Talk Series" was held yesterday at Rui Cunha Foundation. It was a fascinating lecture by Professor Sonny Lo, president of the Hong Kong Political Science Association, followed by a lively Q&A session.
The Macau Portuguese and English Press Association (AIPIM) would like to thank, first and foremost, Professor Lo, all those who joined the session and, of course, Rui Cunha Foundation for its priceless assistance.
Those who couldn’t make it to yesterday’s session can watch the full video recording available at Rui Cunha Foundation’s Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/pg/Fundação-Rui-Cunha-官樂怡基金會-394860337239409/videos/
This was hopefully the first of several talks and roundtables on current affairs aimed at strengthening our role in bringing to the limelight topics that we deem relevant.
The Macau Portuguese and English Association (AIPIM), in cooperation with Rui Cunha Foundation, is organising an open lecture on "Hong Kong, Macau and the future of the One Country Two Systems principle", on Thursday, March 16, at 6:30pm. The guest speaker is Sonny Lo, President of the Hong Kong Political Science Association.
Date: March 16
Time: 6:30pm
Location: Rui Cunha Foundation, no. 749, Avenida da Praia Grande, G/F, Macau.
About the session:
With the Hong Kong Chief Executive Election just around the corner, Professor Sonny Lo delves into the challenges ahead of Hong Kong in the years to come.
Meanwhile the debate over regional integration was reignited following Premier Li Keqiang’s pledge to push for the concept of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area city cluster, in his opening speech at the National People's Congress annual session.
About the speaker:
Sonny Lo is a veteran political observer who has been following the politics of Hong Kong and Macau since the mid-1980s.
He is the President of the Hong Kong Political Science Association and a political scientist specializing in the study of cross-border crime, policing and the politics of Greater China.
Professor Lo is currently deputy director of HKU SPACE – the University of Hong Kong’s School of Professional and Continuing Education. He previously taught at the Education University of Hong Kong, University of Waterloo (Canada), University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Murdoch University (Australia), Lingnan College (Hong Kong), and University of East Asia (Macau). Professor Lo formerly delivered lectures for the training courses of some civil servants in Hong Kong and Macau and is the author of eleven single-authored books.
A talk by Mr. José Pacheco Pereira, (former Vice-President of the European Parliament)
Workshop for journalists, 20 March, 5pm-7.30pm, with Adelino Gomes
Freedom of expression and its limits came under the limelight in the aftermath of the terrorist attack on the newsroom of the French satiric newspaper “Charlie Hebdo”, on 7 January 2015. With the aim to discuss the role of journalists in recent times of surging terrorism, the European Union Academic Programme in Macao (EUAP-M), in partnership with the Portuguese and English Press Association (AIPIM) and the Rui Cunha Foundation, holds on 20 March 2015, from 5pm to 7:30pm, a workshop under the title “Charlie, Islamic State and the heart of journalism” by Adelino Gomes, a Portuguese journalist and university professor.
The workshop is open to professional journalists based in Macau, and will be held at the Rui Cunha Foundation. It will be conducted in Portuguese with simultaneous interpretation into Cantonese.