1st Bloggers World Meeting

Altamiro Borges

New media, with their websites, blogs and social networks, play an increasingly relevant role in contemporary world. Information flows online on the Internet, contributing to democratizing communication – be it in in the revolts in the Arab world, in Spain’s “indignados” revolution, in cables published by Wikileaks or in the elections agitating several countries. Cultural production and entertainment get a greater reach in the web. Internet becomes part of the daily life of billions.



In a short period of time, that new technologic tool showed all its potential for economic, social and political development. It places the “old media” in a hard spot with diminishing print editions and crises in newspapers as audience migrates to TVs and radios. The impact is already reaching the realm of advertisement. A research published in March shows that in the USA internet advertisements already surpassed by US$ 2.5 billion those aimed at printed media.

Now more than ever, it is necessary to value new media. Understanding that phenomenon and its trends, investing more in its development and improvement is paramount. All agree that they contribute to strengthen democracy in the world and in Brazil. With that objective, the Brazilian Association of Communications Enterprises and Entrepreneurs (Altercom) and the Barão de Itararé Center for Media Study, with the institutional support of Itaipu Binacional, promote the 1st Bloggers World Meeting on the issue “The role of new media in building democracy,” on October 27-29, in Foz do Iguaçu, Paraná, Brazil.

Proposed agenda:

October 27 – Thursday:

19H – Official start with the participation of authorities and the event’s promoters;

- Board headed by Gilmar Piolla (Itaipu), Joaquim Palhares (Altercom) and Altamiro Borges (Barão de Itararé);

October 28 – Friday:

9H – Debate on “The role of new media”

- Ignácio Ramonet (France), creator of Le Monde Diplomatique and author of the recently published book “The explosion of journalism.”

- Kristinn Hrafnsson – Wikileaks spokesperson [*]

- Dênis de Moraes, who organized the book “Mutations of the visible: from mass communication to network communication;”

* Board headed by Natalia Vianna (Agência Pública) and Tatiane Pires (blogger from the Rio Grande do Sul state);

14H - Panel: “Experiences in the USA and Europe”

- Amy Goldman (USA) – person in charge of the Democracy Now network;

- Pascual Serrano (Spain), blogger and founder of the Rebelion website;

- Richard Barbrooke – Russian journalist [*]

* Board headed by Renata Mielli and Maria Inês Nassif;

16H – Panel: ”Experiences in Asia and Africa”

- Ahmed Bahgat – Egyptian blogger;

- Nadine Mo’wwad – Lebanese blogger and activist of the Palestinian movement [*]

- Pepe Escobar – journalist and columnist for Asia Times Online website;

* Board headed by Sérgio Telles (blogger from Rio de Janeiro) and Leandro Fortes (Carta Capital);

October 29 – Saturday:

9H – Panel: “Experience in Latin America;”

- Iroel Sanchez – Cuban blogger from the La Pupila Insomne website;

- Blanca Josales – secretary of social networks for the government of Peru;

- Martin Becerra – Argentinean blogger;

* Board headed by Sérgio Bertoni (blogger from Paraná) and Cido Araújo (blogger from São Paulo);

14H – Panel: “Experiences in Brazil”

- Emir Sader – blogger and columnist for the website of Carta Maior;

- Luis Nassif – creator of the Blog do Nassif;

- Esmael Moraes – creator of the Blog do Esmael;

- Conceição Oliveira – creator of the Maria Frô and tweeter;

* Board headed by Daniel Bezerra (blogger from Ceará) and Altino Machado (blogger from Acre);

16H – Debate: The struggle for freedom of speech and democratization of communication;

- Paulo Bernardo – Brazil’s Minister of Communications [*];

- Jesse Chacón – former Venezuela’s Minister of Communications;

- Damian Loreti – member of the commission that wrote the Ley de Medios in Argentina;

* Board headed by Joaquim Palhares and Altamiro Borges

18H – Closing act

- Approval of the Foz do Iguaçu Charter (proposals and organization)

[*] Names to be confirmed;

*****

Versão em português com a programação do Encontro Mundial dos Blogueiros.