Public Events/Conferences

February 11, 2022

Rodrigo Brandão Speaks to Independent Media Class

Senior Director, Communications & Strategy of The Intercept and IC alum Rodrigo Brandão spoke to students in our Independent Media class about The Intercept and its role in the media landscape. The full conversation is available on the PCIM YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/86aApNlTQZo?si=9Fku-JwRMY3nD-UP

March 1, 2022

Provost Colloquium Series: Innovations During the Pandemic

The Park Center for Independent Media’s presentation, “Engaging Global Media from Lockdown,” described the efforts of Director Raza Ahmad Rumi to completely shift to online zoom events in response to the COVID-19 shutdown.

March 23, 2022

Book launch of “The Social Media Debate”

PCIM co-hosted with FLEFF a book launch for “The Social Media Debate: Unpacking the Social, Psychological, and Cultural Effects of Social Media,” with editor Devan Rosen, professor in the Department of Media Arts, Sciences and Studies, and contributing authors. The full conversation is available on the PCIM YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpFnK5FCeIE

March 23, 2022

Conversation with Russian Dissident Writer Dmitry Bykov

PCIM co-hosted a conversation with Russian Dissident Writer Dmitry Bykov with the Ithaca City of Asylum and FLEFF. Dmitry Bykov, one of Russia’s best-known public intellectuals, joined in conversation with Barbara Adams, associate professor of writing, director of the Internship Program in Writing and Publishing, and regional arts critic.

March 27, 2022

“The Unmaking of a College” Screening and Talkback

FLEFF and PCIM cohosted a screening of the documentary “The Unmaking of a College” at Cinemapolis. The screening was followed by a panel discussion with Salman Hameed, Hampshire College; Patricia Rodriguez and Carlos Figueroa, Ithaca College.

April 1, 2022

Scott MacDonald Interviews Su Friedrich on Reclaiming Lost Film Histories

Film historian Scott MacDonald interviewed experimental filmmaker Su Friedrich as part of the Finger Lakes Environmental Film Festival.

The full conversation is available on the PCIM YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/3R_sXIVErkE?si=GE14kNNHgnTFJG77

April 6, 2022

Entangled: Climate Crisis and Media

Jake Brenner, Environmental Sciences and Studies, Ithaca College; Phil McKenna, Inside Climate News; Maureen Nandini Mitra, Earth Island Journal; Praneeta Mudliar, Environmental Sciences and Studies, Ithaca College; and moderator Raza Rumi.

April 8, 2022

Inaugural International Congress on Climate, Media, and Science

This congress was cosponsored by the Finger Lakes Environmental Film Festival, the Interactive Film and Media Journal, and MDOCS: The John B. Moore Documentary Studies Collaborative at Skidmore College.

April 26, 2022

The 14th Annual Izzy Award

PCIM hosted an online ceremony honoring Jenni Monet, THE CITY, Block Club Chicago, the Better Government Association, and the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists.

The full ceremony is available on the PCIM YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/DRzjAlF1fPE?si=NuiMy6jFEHjpoTxX

September 7, 2022

Russia-Ukraine War and The Media

Journalist Natalie Gryvnyak, scholars Masha Shpolberg and Zenon Wasyliw, tuned in via Zoom to offer perspectives spanning on-the-ground reporting, Eastern European history, and film production. Co-sponsored with FLEFF.

The full conversation is available on the PCIM YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/XWeULReUC2k?si=Ged-A8JPM-wwUQm1

September 21, 2022

International Book Launch with Claire Gleitman

Claire Gleitman, Dean of the School of Humanities and Sciences at Ithaca College, tuned via Zoom for a book launch and discussion on her new book, “Anxious Masculinity in the Drama of Arthur Miller and Beyond: Salesmen, Sluggers, and Big Daddies.” Moderated by Susan C. W. Abbotson, Professor of English at Rhode Island College. Co-sponsored with FLEFF.

The full book launch is available on the PCIM YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/6q7Vk3Tpqoo?si=FRcFQs42lGFn_QHr

September 22, 2022

Exiled Writers Talk Survival and Dissent

As part of a tour of solidarity between the programs of the Ithaca, Detroit, and Pittsburgh City of Aslyum programs, PCIM hosted Dmitry Bykov, Pwaangulongii Dauod, Pedro X. Molina, and Anouar Rahmani for a discussion about their works and their struggles for freedom in their respective countries of origin. Co-sponsored with FLEFF and Ithaca College Department of Writing, and the Department of Literatures in English.

The full event is available on the PCIM YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/IqLYtwVwK5w?si=-IDiKAGOFLKGHG4v

October 19, 2022

Book Launch for Naeem Inayatullah’s ‘Pedagogy as Encounter’

Aida Hozic of the University of Florida joined Ithaca College professor Naeem Inayatullah in conversation via Zoom on his new book, raising questions on the role of politics in the classroom, the nature of teaching and learning, and how the teacher’s desires shape pedagogy. Co-sponsored with FLEFF. The discussion was welcomed by Claire Gleitman, with a salute to the book by Joel Dinerstein, Professor of English at Tulane University. Co-sponsored with FLEFF. The full book launch is available on the PCIM YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/beJrKXc9p64?si=h8h7mg3hvTAUKN-x

November 1, 2022

Linda Jue Speaks with Ithaca College Students

On November 1, 2022, Izzy Award judge and editor-at-large for 100Reporters, Linda Jue, joined Raza Rumi’s independent media class via Zoom to discuss her experiences in the field of journalism and to answer questions from students interested in pursuing journalism as a professional career Linda Jue is editor-at-large for the investigative site 100Reporters and a contributing editor at palabra, an innovative news site published by the National Association of Hispanic Journalists.

The full conversation is available on the PCIM YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/CQex3rt6VIk?si=5T4wARuqNez8JqKT

 March 23, 2021

The Roots of Fake News Book Launch

PCIM and the Finger Lakes Environmental Film Festival (FLEFF) hosted a conversation, moderated by Raza Rumi, with authors Brian Winston and Matthew Winston about their book, “The Roots of Fake News: Objecting to Objective Journalism.” The full book launch is available on the PCIM YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/h_vUbLINiIs

March 24, 2021

Infiltrating News: A Conversation with THE INTERCEPT Staffers

PCIM and the Finger Lakes Environmental Film Festival (FLEFF) hosted a roundtable discussion with Rodrigo Brandão and Sharon Lerner from investigative independent news outlet The Intercept. The full conversation is available on the PCIM YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-rdzdJ7AlU

April 15, 2021

A Conversation with Boots Riley: “Democracy at Work!”

The Park Center for Independent Media (PCIM) in collaboration with Cornell University’s Industry Labor Relations School presents: A Conversation with Boots Riley: “Democracy at Work!” Ithaca College journalism major Malick Mercier ’21 introduced the event and acted as one of the moderators, along with colleagues at Cornell.

This event was part of 2021’s ILR Union Days, a series of events sponsored by Cornell’s ILR school involving this year’s theme of art and labor. It is  sponsored by The ILR School, The Worker Institute, The Park Center for Independent Media at Ithaca College, and the following Cornell Departments: History American studies, Government, Art, and Cornell Law School.

The full conversation is available on the PCIM YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNtKGL-s0FM

April 27, 2021

13th Izzy Award Ceremony Honors Truthout, Liliana Segura, and Tim Schwab 

The Park Center for Independent Media honored the work of journalists Liliana Segura and Tim Schwab along with the publication Truthout during the 13th annual Izzy Award ceremony on April 27.  The full ceremony is available on the PCIM YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/hXXfuYhl2Q0?si=mUN0SBbDfnkRKudV

April 29, 2021

Flash Flaherty Book Launch with Coeditor Patricia Zimmermann

On April 29  the Park Center for Independent Media and The Flaherty hosted the international launch of Scott MacDonald and Patricia R. Zimmermann’s new book Flash Flaherty: Tales From A Film Seminar (Indiana, 2021). Attended by over 120 academics, students, and independent film enthusiasts, the event – which occurred via Zoom – featured readings by editors and contributors of the book. The full book launch is available on the PCIM YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/aJW6cKKwe-Y

May 14, 2021

Race Reductionism: The Anti-Labor Radicalism of the 21st Century

On May 14, a panel of scholars came together for a discussion about race reductionism and how it can prevent people from understanding and addressing the sources of inequality. Panelists included Dr. Zine Magubane, Associate Professor of Sociology at Boston College, Dr. Touré Reed, Professor of History at Illinois State University, and Dr. Adolph Reed Jr., Professor Emeritus at the University of Pennsylvania.

The event was co-sponsored by IC Contingent Faculty Union (SEIU Local 200), Park Center for Independent Media, IC AAUP, IC Dept. of Politics, IC Dept. of Sociology and was moderated by Dr. Cedrick-Michael Simmons, Diversity Scholars Fellow, Sociology at Ithaca College.

The full conversation is available on the PCIM YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwCSs0T5Tbk

September 9, 2021

David Lindorff Speaks to Ithaca College Class

Independent journalist David Lindorff tuned in via Zoom to speak with the independent media class on the challenges of being an investigative journalist in the United States, the lasting impacts of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and his most recent piece, “9/11, the ‘Day that Changed Everything.” The full conversation is available on the PCIM YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/BeuFyB75WDg?si=VKbUDzkSdUOCg6N0

September 20, 2021

Brandon Smith Visits Ithaca College

Independent journalist Brandon Smith visited the independent media class to talk about his piece for PCIM: The Edge on issues of national security, his experiences as an investigative journalist, and upcoming journalistic projects.

September 27, 2021

Global Doc Media Series: Who Owns the Story? Documentary in Africa

Virtual roundtable discussion with Judy Kibinge, of the Creative Economy Working Group (CEWG); Idrissou Mora-Kpai, assistant professor at Ithaca College; Josh Mwamunga, DOCA’s strategy and finance lead; Mohamed Saïd Ouma, filmmaker, cultural operator, and executive director of DocA-Documentary Africa; Austin Nyambok, currently the Communications Officer at DocA –Documentary Africa. Co-sponsored with FLEFF. The full conversation is available on the PCIM YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/UhjV0QRV4gE?si=oWoY-wtt2ZsJP2vX

October 4, 2021

Roundtable on Raoul Peck’s ‘Exterminate All the Brutes’

Roundtable with writers and scholars discussing Raoul Peck’s four-part hybrid documentary series on HBO, Exterminate All the Brutes (2021) with Reece Auguiste is Associate Professor of Critical Media Practices and co-founder of the Department of Critical Media Practices at University of Colorado, Boulder; Daniel Feierstein holds a PhD in Social Sciences by the University of Buenos Aires; Vicente Sánchez-Biosca is a Professor in Audio-visual Communication at the University of Valencia. Co-sponsored with FLEFF. The full conversation is available on the PCIM YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/CkN6Vdj2yzk?si=w5ZXhUqqiOQvJVgc

October 7, 2021

Lali Khalid Book Release at Handwerker Gallery

Artist book launch of ‘Home. In my heart, beating far away.’ By Lali Khalid with introduction by Raza Rumi at Handwerker Gallery.

October 26, 2021

Environmental Justice Scholar Dr. Prakash Kashwan

PCIM co-hosted with FLEFF a conversation with Dr. Prakash Kashwan and Dr. Jake Brenner (Environmental Studies & Sciences) discussing climate justice in an online webinar. The full conversation is available on the PCIM YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ey3xXEEaV-0

October 28, 2021

“Build Bridges, Not Walls: A Journey to a World Without Borders”

Book talk with author Todd Miller on his latest book, “Build Bridges, Not Walls: A Journey to a World Without Borders.” The full event is available on the PCIM YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/fbT4uWN_2ww?si=fTAmmsshmFLJOYGg

January 09: Attended ‘American Pakistan Foundation’ meeting at The John Hopkins University in Washington DC.

January 11: Spoke on religious freedom in South Asia, at a panel at The Wilson Center.

February 08: Attended a rally by ‘Black lives matter’ activists in Ithaca, New York.

February 14: Spoke about Asma Jahangir on ‘Voice of America – Urdu’.

February 14: Spoke about Asma Jahangir on ‘TRT World’.

February 20: Spoke at a remembrance for Asma Jahangir at Harvard College, in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

February 20: Spoke about “Pakistan: Continuity and change” at the Harvard Kennedy School.

February 23: Spoke about Asma Jahangir’s immense contribution to the national and international human rights movements at Cornell University.

March 27: Visited Trinity College to speak on ‘US-Pakistan relations and the future of Afghanistan’.

March 28: Attended Shahbaz Taseer’s talk at Cornell University organized by Pakistan Society.

April 01: Spoke at Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs on twenty years after the nuclear tests by India and Pakistan.

April 06: Attended a symposium by University of Virginia on the past and future of Middle Eastern area studies.

April 21: Talked on the undeclared censorship on ‘Voice of America – Urdu’.

April 25: Attended the Izzy Award ceremony organized by ‘Park Centre for Independent Media’ in Ithaca.

May 07: Attended a private concert by Amir Vahab in New York.

May 09: Spoke at the conference at Hagop Kevorkian Center for Near Eastern Studies at NYU.

May 14: Spoke at a panel entitled ‘Pakistan At 70’ at LLF 2018, in New York.

August 07: Held ‘Being Pakistani’ Book launch at ‘The Second Floor’, Karachi.

August 13: Held ‘Being Pakistani’ Book launch in Islamabad organized by ‘Kuch Khaas’.

August 23: Held ‘Being Pakistani’ Book launch in Lahore at ‘Books and Beans’.

August 30: Received the award from Aligarh alumni association in New Jersey named after Hasrat Mohani, the firebrand poet and activist of early twentieth century India.

October11: Spoke at an event organized by Aligarh Alumni association in Maryland, DC.

October 14: Participated in a Panel discussion organized by SAPRI and AdvoPak around my book ‘Being Pakistani’.

October 18: Participated in a panel discussion at The Wilson Center as part of a conference in Washington DC.

October 23: Spoke in a Panel discussion on majoritarian politics in South Asia, at Yale MacMillan center.

November 08: Talked about my new book Being Pakistani (and living in America at this moment.) at an event ‘a conversation with Prof Sadia Abbas’ entitled Postcolonial Questions and Performances, in Rutgers University.

November 15: Spoke about ‘Democracy and its Discontents: Project Naya Pakistan’ at the Institute for South Asia, University of California, Berkeley.

November 16: Book tour event by Pakistani American Community Center in San Francisco Bay Area.

November 16: Took part in a discussion moderated by Sannia Abdullah on the role of institutions in strengthening democracy & tackling corruption, at World Affairs, San Francisco.

November 26: Took part in a Panel discussion—Society in trouble: myth or reality, at Aga Khan University Karachi.

November 30: Participated in a cross disciplinary teaching on Pakistan elections at Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs.

December 04: Took part in a panel discussion on ‘media freedom across the globe’, at St. John’s Episcopal Church, Georgetown, Washington DC.

December 13: Spoke on global media freedom at an event organised by Park Center for Independent Media.

January: Reading at ‘Justice for All’ event (as part of national writers’ resistance movement) organized by Ithaca community and IC Writing Department.

February 10: Panelist at ‘India & Pakistan: Journalism and War Hysteria’ with Steve Coll, Seema Sirohi at Columbia Journalism School, New York.

February 17: Panel Discussion at Cornell University on Travel Ban & Immigration organized by Cornell Institute for Public Affairs (CIPA).

February 20: Book Launch – Identity Faith & Conflict (published by ICOA) at Queens Museum, NY

March 30: Panel discussion on Human Rights and Development organized by CIPA Cornell.

April 15: Panelist at a discussion on U.S.-Pakistan relations at Soch Festival, Columbia University, New York.

April 17: Panelist at discussion on religious minorities in Pakistan at Harvard Pakistan Forum, Harvard University.

April 29: Panelist at a discussion on Civil Service Reform in Latin America at Columbia University, New York.

May 7: Panelist at Lahore Literature Festival on Sufi poetry & music at Asia Society, New York.

May 15: Panelist at an event on translating Langston Hughes in Urdu Language held by Urdu literary society (Halqa e Arbab e Zauq) in Queens, New York.

May 28: Commencement Speaker at Graduation Ceremony for CIPA graduates at Cornell University.

August 23: Discussed Trump’s strategy in Afghanistan on a CCTV show at Cornell studios.

August 25: Discussed Trump’s announcement on escalation of the U.S. war in Afghanistan, on show ‘Democracy now’.

September 03: Spoke at an event dedicated to ‘Lal Shahbaz Qalandar’ at an Islamic centre in Queens, New York.

October 03: Spoke at a panel on “Anti-democratic trends and the University Space” at the launch of the report “Free to Think” published by ‘Scholars At Risk’ in New York.

October 09: Read a paper ‘Tearing Everything Up: Manto and the Partition’ at the Urdu conference in New York University.

November 09: Moderated a panel discussion on International development at Cornell University.

November 10: Spoke on “Democratic Transition in Pakistan: Prospects and challenges” at Brown University.

December 03: Spoke about the future directions of Pak US relations on Pakistan television.

August: Lecture Citizenship, Rights, and the State in South Asia at Foreign Service Institute, Washington D.C.

August: Lecture Public Opinion, the Media and Extremism at Foreign Service Institute, Washington D.C.

August: Moderated an event The Sufi Courtyard at George Washington University, Washington D.C.

September: Reading and panel discussion at the fifteenth anniversary of ICOA

September: Panelist at United Nations on Press Freedoms, organized by Reporters Without Borders

September: Reading at Cornell University as part of the Banned Books Week

October: Talk Stranger Times: Narratives Within and Outside Pakistan at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore

October: Panel discussion on Local effects of U.S. counterterrorism policies & the rule of law at New America Foundation, Washignton D.C.

November: Panel discussion on Identity & Arts in America with artists Shahzia Sikander, organized by American Academy of Religion in San Antonio, TX.

December: Panel discussion after the performance of Opera ‘Thump Print’ at Hangar Theatre, Ithaca.

November 2014 : Culture and Peace building
Culture and Peace building, spoke at an event organized by the Asian Arts Initiative, Philadelphia USA where my book Delhi by Heart was launched as well

November 2014 : Young Leaders from Pakistan
Young Leaders from Pakistan, discussion organized by the Atlantic Council, Washington DC USA.

November 2014 : The Rise of Religious Intolerance in Pakistan
Spoke as 2-member panel on The Rise of Religious Intolerance in Pakistan: Implications for Democratic Development and Human Rights, a discussion organized by the National Endowment for Democracy, Washington DC USA.

November 2014: South Asia: Human Rights and Development
South Asia: Human Rights and Development, a lecture delivered at a training class for State Department officials, at the Foreign Service Institute, Arlington, VA, USA.

December 2014: Reporting in Conflict Zones
Reporting in Conflict Zones, lectured at the University of Maryland School of Journalism, Washington DC USA.

December 2014: Media, language and power
Media, language and power, an event organized by the Society of Urdu Literature, Washington DC USA.

January 2015 : Culture and Conflict
Lecture Culture and Conflict, at a graduate class at School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University (with Amb. Cynthia Schenieder).

January 2015: Domestic Security in Pakistan
Spoke at a panel discussion on After Peshawar: Domestic Security in Pakistan at the United States Institute of Peace, Washington DC, USA.

January 2015: Culture and Diplomacy
January 2015: Participated in a panel discussing focusing on Culture and Diplomacy after a theatrical presentation by Laboratory for Global Performance and Politics, Georgetown University.

February 2015: Guest lecture on ISIS, Islam, and the Crisis of Globalization
Guest lecture on ISIS, Islam, and the Crisis of Globalization at American University, Washington DC, USA.

February 2015: Panel Discussant/speaker
Panel Discussant/speaker at National Press Club, Washington DC at the launch of World Press Freedom Index 2015 by Reporters Without Borders.

September 2011: Elected Local Governments: Revival and Reforms
Presentation at the National Roundtable Consultation organised by Sustainable Development Policy Institute, Sangat Foundation and Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, Pakistan.

September 2011: Governance & Gender: Lessons from South Asia
A talk given at the SAP event on Exploring the State of Gender Friendliness in Democratic Institutions, Lahore Pakistan.

September 2011: Citizens and Constitution
A talk given at a learning event, “State of Constitutionalism in Pakistan”, Centre for Civic Education, Pakistan.

July 2011:Results based Management in Public Sector
At the International Growth Conference organized by the Planning Commission of Pakistan.

July 2011: 18TH Amendment and Beyond: Rethinking Development in Pakistan
Spoke and moderated a panel on environmental governance at the Inspiring Leadership for Sustainable Development, a conference by LEAD, Pakistan.

June 2011: Social Protection – Issues and Options
A presentation at a regional seminar on Social Protection Frameworks organized by UNICEF/Planning Commission, Bhurban, Pakistan.

June 2011: The Role of media in promoting democratic governance
A presentation made at theSouth Asian Regional Conference on Promoting Gender Responsive Democratic Governance in South Asia hosted by South-Asia Partnership, Nepal.

May 2011: Social Media, Governance & Accountability
A talk given at the First International Social Media Summit, Karachi.

December 2010: Innovations in governing primary health care – the case of Punjab province of Pakistan,
A presentation made at the Kerala Institute of Management, India during the annual conference of Network of Asia Pacific Schools and Institutes of Governance and Public Administration.

November 2010: Transparency and Accountability of South Asian Parliaments
A presentation made at South Asia for Human Rights (SAHR) Conference entitled The Challenges for South Asia: Human Rights & Democracy.

October 2010: From Crisis to Crisis-Governance & Rule of Law Assessments in Pakistan
Presentation at the Regional Consultation on Access to Justice Assessments, UNDP Asia Pacific Regional Centre in Bangkok.

August 2010: Managing development in post-conflict contexts
A presentation given to multi-donor moot in Islamabad, Pakistan.

April 2010: Endemic crisis of federalism in Pakistan,
A presentation made at the Sixth Annual Conference on the Management of Pakistan’s Economy.

March 2010: Entitlements and the postcolonial state: E-governance initiatives in Pakistan & South Asia
presented at a capacity development workshop at the Bangladesh Public Administration Training Centre.

June 2009 – Rethinking aid: Moving beyond the rhetoric of capacity development
A presentation made at the Regional Management Team Meeting of SNV Asia (SNV- Netherlands Development Organisation) in Bangkok, Thailand as a guest speaker.