Publishing Leaders Assess International Ownership

Washington, DC - Former U.S. Representative Patricia Schroeder, President and CEO of the Association of American Publishers, and the heads of two leading publishing houses will consider the impact of foreign ownership of American publishing firms December 1, 1999 from 3:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. This free public discussion of globalization and its effect on American business will take place at the National Building Museum. Ms. Schroeder will be joined by John Sargent, President of Holzbrinck Publishers in America; and André Schiffrin, Publisher of the New Press, a leading not-for-profit house. The program, to be followed by an open reception, is sponsored by the Center for Arts and Culture. Gigi Bradford, the Center’s Executive Director, will moderate.

In the next century, we will all feel the impact of a new global culture. Corporate consolidation is one of the changes facing citizens and decision-makers alike. Corporate consolidation in culture is often portrayed as a story of American control of global markets. The case of the publishing industry is quite different. Many leading publishers in America are now owned by international companies headquartered outside the U.S.

This event, the final in a series of three discussions on Globalization and its Impact on Culture, is part of the fall edition of the Center’s Calling the Question programs on policy issues in the cultural sector. Global Partnerships, Government Roles was presented on October 5 and Global Fashion: American Commercial Culture in the World on November 3 1999. “The example of the publishing industry raises fascinating questions for the rest of the cultural sector,” Bradford said. “This thought provoking series of panels will be helpful to citizens and decision makers alike and become the foundation for the Center’s future research and action on globalization and culture.”

The Center for Arts and Culture is an independent research organization providing analysis and promoting dialogue on issues affecting cultural life. It works with decision makers, scholars, and practitioners from across the arts and the humanities to produce research, gather and evaluate data, and supply information to policymakers and the general public.

The National Building Museum is located at 401 F. Street NW, Washington, DC. The Calling the Question series is made possible with partial support from the Nathan Cummings Foundation.