The International Media Summit, held in South Africa for the first time last week, brought together local and foreign media, Government and business in a unique forum which debated relationships between all, as well as the tone of reporting on South Africa and Africa. It yielded very interesting debate, insight and networking opportunities which made it all the more puzzling that some of the biggest media groups in South Africa were unrepresented. If the BBC, Reuters, GCIS and even independent journalists could make the time to turn up to address key media issues on the continent and participate and listen to debate, why not our own media conglomerates? Even Government communication services apologised for not being more involved this year and promised to rectify that next time round. The lack of further specialist journalism training and the high turnover of journalists at mainstream media houses was a concern raised by many speakers. A full report with recommendations emanating from the two days will be released later this year. To track this, log on to www.internationalmediaforum.com. Enjoy! Louise Marsland, editor, editor@bizcommunity.co