At its meeting in Istanbul, Turkey, the Executive Board of the International Press Institute (IPI) entrusted the Missouri School of Journalism with the publication of the IPI Report, the quarterly international journalism magazine, IPI headquarters in Vienna announced today.

IPI is a global network of editors, media executives and leading journalists from newspapers, magazines, broadcasting organizations and news agencies in more than 100 countries. The IPI Report covers press freedom issues from around the world.

“The IPI Report reaches over 4,000 subscribers world-wide, including editors and media executives in the print, broadcasting and new agency fields, as well as international organisations, academics and libraries, thus providing a unique opportunity for global media campaigns,” said Johann P. Fritz, director of IPI.

“We are absolutely delighted to be able to take over an international magazine of such quality – and one that fulfils an important free-press mission, ” said Dean Mills, dean of the journalism school at the University of Missouri-Columbia.

David Laventhol, former publisher of the Los Angeles Times, had been acting as publisher and editorial director of the magazine. Alvin Shuster, a former New York Times and Los Angeles Times foreign correspondent and editors, has been editor. Laventhol, who is retiring, and Shuster worked with the School of Journalism to arrange for the transfer to Missouri. Shuster will remain with the magazine as an associate editor.

Mills will take over the publisher’s function, with the magazine. Stuart Loory, the Lee Hills Chair in Free-Press Studies at MU, will become the editor.

“At a time when the news business throughout the world is facing attack from forces seeking to curtail press freedom, a strong international publication reporting fairly and forthrightly on the business on all continents is necessary to help protect the free flow of information, ” Loory said. “The IPI Report has done that for years, and we hope to continue and expand its marvellous traditions.”

MU will assume responsibility for the magazine effective with the First Quarter 1999 issue, which will be out in mid-February. The magazine will continue to use professional journalists and freelancers around the world as contributors. Faculty and graduate students in the School of Journalism will help design and edit the publication.