Rainbow-worm 7: LGBT Reporting in Mainland Chinese Media‏

Rainbow-worm 7: LGBT Reporting in Mainland Chinese Media
Tuesday 15th January 2013

Everyone knows that the media environment in China is carefully controlled, but have you ever wondered what it feels like to be working on the inside? How difficult is it to report on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) topics? How is the LGBT media landscape changing, and what are the forces behind those changes?

Join us this Tuesday, January 15th, as Chinese journalists and media commentators share their views and answer your questions on LGBT news coverage in domestic and international media. We have an exciting schedule lined up for you:
– Sam Zhao will present the findings of Les+’s media monitoring report that assessed LGBT stories and themes in Mainland China in 2012. Zhao is a media specialist and LGBT activist who in 2005 founded Les+, China’s only long-standing paper publication for lesbians; Zhao also co-founded the Beijing LGBT Center in 2008.
– Journalist Zhu Xixi will share her experiences conducting research for her China Entrepreneur magazine piece about gender and sexuality in the workplace, titled “When colleagues are queer”.
– Steven Jiang will share his experiences writing on sexuality and LGBT community issues for international media. Jiang returned to CNN as a Beijing-based producer in 2010, bringing more than 12 years of journalistic experience in the region. Previously, Jiang covered Asia – as a producer or a correspondent – for CBS News, NBC News, France 24 and Channel NewsAsia as well as CNN.
– Gan Tian,a life-style journalist from China Daily, will share his team’s investigation on LGBT news. Gan consistently contributes to LGBT in-depth feature stories. He published a feature story on the Chinese transgender community which caused a buzz among home and international publications.
– Wei Jiangang will moderate the panel presentations and discussion for the evening. Wei is the executive director of the Beijing Gender Health Education Institute, organizer of the China Rainbow Media Awards, and Executive Director of Queer Comrades.

So, sharpen your pencils, dust off your secret tape-recorders and come prepared with questions and an inquisitive mind! We look forward to seeing you at the Bookworm!

ABOUT THE EVENT
Time: Tuesday 15th January 2013, 7:30-9:00pm
Venue: The Bookworm, Building 4, Nan Sanlitun Road, Chaoyang District
Price: 40 RMB in advance or 50 RMB at the door (one free drink included); only the first 30 people to reserve via rainbowworm.bjlgbt@gmail.comcan receive discounted tickets, so book now! A portion of the proceeds will be used toward the work of the Beijing LGBT Center.

ABOUT RAINBOW-WORM
Rainbow-worm is a volunteer-led initiative of the Beijing LGBT Center aiming to bring together the Beijing LGBT community for cultural exchange and communication. The first Rainbow-worm event in December 2011 was a phenomenal success and we hope that you will join us for our first event of 2013!