Mayoral and prosecutorial debates headline the University of Hawai`i at Hilo Media Symposium scheduled for Friday, September 21, on the UH Hilo campus. The debates between Mayor Billy Kenoi and Harry Kim, and Deputy Prosecutor Mitch Roth and Corporation Counsel Lincoln Ashida take place at 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. respectively, on the Campus Center Plaza. UH Hilo Political Science Professor Todd Belt and Sherry Bracken, who hosts the weekly Island Issues broadcast on LAVA 105 and KKOA 107.7 fm and reports news for Hawai`i Public Radio, will serve as moderators.
A panel discussion on the state of media in Hawai`i will follow the debates and include a cross section of reporters from print, radio and new media.
The symposium begins at 9 a.m. September 21 in Campus Center 301 with a libel, defamation, and copyright workshop headed by Hilo attorney Steve Strauss. Marty Orlando of Tropic Mac offers an iPad workshop, and Simon Kaliko Trapp of Hale Kuamo’o, UH Hilo’s Hawaiian Language Center, will speak on technology and the Hawaiian language. Patsy Iwasaki of UH Hilo’s Communication Department offers a workshop on reporting and newswriting, and Nancy Cook Lauer, a *West Hawai`i Today* reporter and blogger, will give a presentation on ethics. Steve Petranik of *Hawaii Business Magazine*will share details on global media trends, and Senator Les Ihara will speak on the state’s Sunshine Law.
The event is sponsored by *Ke Kalahea*, UH Hilo’s student newspaper. Lunch and refreshments will be served. Cost is $10 for students, $20 for the general public. However, there is no charge to attend jus the candidate forums at 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. Call 974-7504 for more information or to register.
