Phil Rees visits Scripps J-School at Ohio University

 By: Morgan Sigrist IIJ Ambassador

Sept. 28 and 29 EW Scripps School of Journalism and the International Institute of Journalism hosted Phil Rees as a special guest speaker. Far away from his home of London, England, Rees shared with students his experience as an international journalist with more than 20 years experience for BBC, author of “Dining with Terrorists”, and the creator of the production company “Out of Office.”

 Students were able to follow the life of documentary and international journalism through the eyes of this producer. Rees came to several classes within the journalism school such as J-Freshman Newsroom, Midday, and TV Broadcast News. Here the international journalist showed pieces of different documentaries he has worked on all across the world.  With over forty documentaries on his resume`, Rees has done exclusive work with the Al Jazeera network and been on the frontlines of numerous war conflicts, places many journalists have never been.

 Members of Students for Global Media and Diversity, and participants in the Zambia study abroad program were able to enjoy exclusive visits with Rees. The first night, members of SGMD enjoyed dinner with Rees at Athen’s Star of India restaurant, where they were able to openly talk about the differences in past and present journalism. The students and Rees conversed about their different journalistic backgrounds over the delightful Indian cuisine, while also sharing their various cultures and personal backgrounds.

 The second night, participants in the study abroad to Zambia held a panel for Rees where they discussed the importance of studying aboard, and what they hope to gain from their trip to Zambia. Following the panel, the group enjoyed the performance of the Ridges Auditorium’s host of “Nawal: the Voice of the Comoros.”

To find out more information about Phil Rees and view his work as an international journalist check out http://philrees.tv/

To find out more about the International Institute of Journalism check out http://scrippsjschool.org/iij/ or contact Dr. Yusuf Kalyango Jr. at kalyango@ohio.edu