Roundtable Discussion with David Barboza

David Barboza, a New York Times correspondent based in Shanghai, shared his personal experiences and insights about China and the role the media plays in the relationship in an informal, off-the-record roundtable discussion hosted by the National Committee on October 22.

With today’s technology and numerous domestic Chinese news outlets, journalists from other countries have ready access to news that takes place in the major Chinese cities; getting news from and about the interior of China is often more difficult. The real challenge is finding stories that are both relevant and will have an impact on readers. How stories about China are covered, why they are covered, and how coverage could be improved are important questions for journalists as they strive to keep readers up-to-date. Mr. Barboza is clearly committed to asking such questions and seeking feedback from readers about the answers.

Mr. Barboza has been based in Shanghai since 2004, writing primarily for the business section; he also writes about art, dance, film, and television in China for the Times. Prior to his stint in China, he worked in the paper’s Chicago bureau.

Mr. Barboza has received many awards for excellence in journalism. In 2002, he was part of a team that was named a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, and in 2005, he was awarded the Gerald Loeb Award for Deadline Writing for his coverage of Lenovo’s acquisition of IBM’s PC business. He also won the Hugo Shong Journalist of the Year Award for Reporting on Asia, presented by Boston University’s College of Communications in 2006. Last year, he won the Times’ internal business writing award, the Nathaniel Nash Award.