JOHANNESBURG--One
would think that, on the last day of the summit,
media persons would spend the day writing reflective
pieces on their lasting impressions. That they
would not be terribly stressed under any pressing
deadlines, no major interviews to conduct as most
delegates prepare to head home--a day of passive
contemplation as the week's events come to a close.
I
have long since learned not to presume anything about
the media.
Judging from the looks of the media
center at this very moment, it might
as well the first day of the WSSD, for
the summit paparazzi have certainly not
let up. A cacophony of cell phones trill
in unison to the classical tunes of Bach
and Mozart and thousands of eager hands
beat down incessantly upon the more than
500 computer keyboards to get the juicy
story written. Brilliant flashes of white
light twinkle around the room as photographers
use up the final rolls of film on the
remaining summit stars--altogether 2,000
people pushing, shoving, and mowing down
their peers in order to squeeze out the
last bit of summit pulp for their papers,
TV stations, and radios back home. Yes,
it's like we just got started.
And that is exactly what I have loved
most about this summit experience: the
sheer intensity of the media buzz around
the press centers, the cafes, the plenaries,
and the parallel events has created the
energy that such conferences so badly
need.
While at times the frenetic pace of
media behavior was enough to drive a
sane man stark mad, I have enjoyed almost
every minute of my time with my fellow
peers from the world of journalism. Throughout
all our moments of mania, we managed
to find the time to get to know each
other, share ideas, discuss issues of
the summit, and just generally grow very
fond of each other. Since August 24,
I have been seeing the same 2,000 people
every day--passing them in the halls,
covering the same press briefing, trying
to get the same interviews: one really
gets to know their peers when one sees
them 13 hours a day.
So, in sum, I will miss my media comrades
when this is all over. We are among the
most loved and hated segment of the summit
population for our ability to both inform
and aggravate the public through our
reporting, a status which we all bear
proudly and share with each other. And
when the time comes round for the next
major world conference, you can be sure
that the same massive flock of media
will all descend upon a similar world
arena, all ready to push, shove, babble,
flash, phone, fax and, in the end, diligently
narrate the important events for an eager
global audience
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