Global Editors Network launches under former WEF leaders

The Global Editors Network, a new international network for editors working on all platforms, launches today with a new board of academics, editors and executives from news outlets across the world.

The new network is headed by former World Editors Forum (WEF) president Xavier Vidal-Folch, deputy director of Spanish newspaper El Pais and former WEF vice-president Harald Stanghelle, political editor of the Norway's largest newspaper, Aftenposten. Both resigned their positions with WEF but remain on the forum's board.

Launching today the GEN announced its final 22 board members, which include David Cohn, spot.us; Jeff Jarvis, buzzmachine.com and City University of New York associate professor; Al Trivino, News International and Wilfried Ruetten, European Journalism Center. A full list of the 22 members can be found at the end of this article.

The GEN also announced the first of its study tours, which will run under two categories; Newsroom Strategy and Geopolitical.

The first tour will be geopolitical, focusing on the Arab world following the recent uprisings and will take place in Cairo from 6 to 9 June. The final programme of the tour will be released on 20 April.

The network has pledged to hold its first annual conference by the end of 2011 at which it expects to draw in more than 500 participants. It will also set up an Editors' Lab where editors and developers can work together to develop new tools and produce news apps to be offered to network members and partners.

In its manifesto the GEN pledges to "break the barriers between editors of old and new media, print and digital, general interest and specialised publications, free and paid business models, profit and non-profit organizations, international and local media outlets".

Board members announced today:

GEN Executive Committee:
Xavier Vidal-Folch, El Pais, Spain - President (former WEF president);
Harald Stanghelle, Aftenposten, Norway - Vice President (former WEF vice-president);
Alejandro Miro-Quesada, Cosas, Peru - Secretary (former WEF Board member);
Roman Gallo, Gallomultimedia, Czech Republic - Treasurer (former WEF Board member).

Other GEN Board members:
David Cohn, spot.us, USA
François Dufour, L'Actu, France (WAN-IFRA Board member)
Frédéric Filloux, MondayNote, France
Dan Gillmor, Author, Mediactive & Arizona State University, USA
Azubuike Ishiekwene, Leadership Newspapers, Nigeria (former WEF Board member)
Jeff Jarvis, buzzmachine.com & CUNY, USA
Ricardo Kirschbaum, Clarin, Argentina (former WEF Board member)
Kerry J. Northrup, Newsplex founder & Western Kentucky University, USA
Gerold Riedmann, Voralberger Nachrichten, Austria
Jim Roberts, New York Times, USA
Wilfried Ruetten, European Journalism Center, the Netherlands
Nadia Salah, L'Economiste, Morocco (WEF Board member)
Martha Stone, World Newsmedia Research Group, USA (former Shaping the Future of the Newspaper Project director)
Al Trivino, News International, UK

In the process of agreement:
Steve Herrmann, BBC News, UK
Sylvie Kauffmann, Le Monde, France
Matt Kelly, Trinity Mirror, UK
Josep Maria Marti, Cadena SER, Spain

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