IIJ and SPJ bring Antigone Barton to OU

by IIJ Ambassador, Assistant Professor, & Director of IIJ

By: Morgan Sigrist IIJ Ambassador
October 24th through the 26th, the International Institute of Journalism and the Society of Professional Journalists join together to bring international health journalist Antigone Barton. As part of the Pulitzer Center of Crisis, Barton has spent the last seven years working extensively on the AIDS epidemic both abroad and in South Florida.

Barton will be lecturing in several Journalism classes including Professor Bob Stewart’s J101 class and Dr. Yusuf Kalyango’s J352 class. She will be speaking to the students about her experiences in countries such as Zambia, the Caribbean and the US. Tuesday, Barton will be holding a public lecture in the Anderson Auditorium Scripps 111 from 5-6 p.m. titled, “Global Health: Communication and Ethics US and Abroad.”

Antigone Barton began her work on the AIDS epidemic within her own community, which led her to investigate how other countries were handling the rapidly spreading disease. “While writing a story about health challenges at a prison in the Dominican Republic, I met a physician who suggested I look at how the United States President’s Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief was working there. That led to my reporting on AIDS in the Caribbean.” Her work with the Pulitzer Center of Crisis has allowed Barton to travel to various countries to study their health systems in response to the AIDS epidemic.The Pulitzer Center has made it possible for Barton to travel and fund her work. “I don’t know if there are any organizations like the Pulitzer Center, which has expanded possibilities for coverage of international issues in a broad array of innovative ways – through funding, partnerships, multimedia platforms, and educational programs.”

Throughout her visit at OU, Antigone Barton will be speaking to Students for Global Media and Diversity along with Zambian students. It is her hope to teach students the importance of international affairs, and the importance of studying abroad for journalism and communication students. She will be speaking to the Zambian students as they prepare for their trip over winter intersession, and help to prepare these students for the opportunity to learn and grow as journalists from this experience.

To find out more about the Pulitzer Center of Crisis checkout http://pulitzercenter.org/

To find out more about Antigone’s work in Zambia checkout
http://pulitzercenter.org/projects/zambia-aids-hiv-virus-usaid-ministry-health-government-microbicide

To find out more about IIJ checkout http://scrippsjschool.org/iij/

To find out more about SPJ checkout http://www.scrippscollege.ohio.edu/ohio-university-society-of-professional-journalists-chapter-named-best-in-nation

October 20, 2011

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