Journalists’ safety and budget-stretching reporting strategies topped the agenda at the second meeting of the International Press Institute (IPI)’s Foreign Editors Circle yesterday in Toronto.

The forum – organized by the North American Committee of IPI, the world’s oldest global press freedom organisation, with support from the Toronto Star, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) and the Toronto Global Forum – brought together approximately 20 international editors and journalists from Canada and the United States.

“During the meeting, American and Canadian foreign editors were able to share our common challenges and brainstorm ideas on everything from keeping our correspondents safe to partnerships,” Miami Herald World Editor John Yearwood, chair of IPI’s North American Committee, said. “We all felt the time we spent together was deeply enriching.”

Participants, in a morning session addressing the safety of correspondents, shared their experiences, discussed best practices and heard from noted University of Toronto psychiatry professor Dr. Anthony Feinstein about his research on journalists and trauma. They also talked about the implications of accepting content from freelance journalists in conflict zones and the vital need to ensure that those journalists have the proper training and experience.

A second, afternoon discussion focused on ways to continue providing high-quality journalism amid ever-shrinking budgets. Common strategies included making strategic choices about when to send reporters abroad and asking journalists to multi-task with print and visual reporting. Editors were particularly enthusiastic to explore more co-productions among news outlets.

IPI Executive Director Alison Bethel McKenzie said: “We’re delighted to have brought together so many well-respected foreign news editors and journalists from news agencies, print, broadcast and online media in Canada and the United States. We hope that the opportunity to share ideas on the common challenges they face was instructive, both in terms of doing more with less in order to continue providing quality news coverage, and in terms of ensuring the safety of journalists.”

Between discussions, participants joined the Toronto Global Forum for a private question-and-answer session with Canadian International Trade Minister Ed Fast on the ramifications of Canada’s recently-announced agreement for free trade with the European Union. They also attended a luncheon at which former U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney discussed energy security, the U.S. government shutdown and the risks that terrorist groups pose to global security.

The first meeting of the IPI Foreign Editors Circle took place on Feb. 5, 2013 in New York City at the headquarters of the Associated Press (AP). The event brought together journalists from AP, CBS News, PBS NewsHour, National Public Radio, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, The Miami Herald, The Christian Science Monitor, Newsweek/The Daily Beast, the National Press Club, the Overseas Press Club and other media outlets. Then-U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice, currently U.S. national security adviser, joined the event as an honoured guest.

Editors from many of those same media outlets were present for yesterday’s meeting and they were joined by editors and journalists from the CBC, The Canadian Press, the Toronto Star, The Globe and Mail, the Detroit Free Press, the Canadian Journalism Foundation and other organisations.

IPI is a global network of editors, media executives and leading journalists dedicated to furthering and safeguarding press freedom, promoting the free flow of news and information, and improving the practices of journalism. Formed in 1950 at Columbia University by 34 leading editors from 15 countries on the belief that a free press would contribute to the creation of a better world, IPI today includes members in more than 120 countries and holds consultative status with the United Nations and the Council of Europe. Find us at www.freemedia.at, or on Facebook and Twitter.

IPI is active in North America via its North American Committee, which includes editors and publishers from leading news agencies, newspapers and television networks.

The Toronto Global Forum is a non-profit organization dedicated to fostering dialogue on national and global issues under the auspices of the International Economic Forum of the Americas (IEFA). It held its seventh annual meeting from Oct. 30 to 31 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.