SFSU will host a panel of national and international journalists for an in-depth dialogue on media and war from 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday in Humanities building room 408. The event is free and open to the public.

Sponsored by the SFSU student chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, the panel will consider the media's role in war, freedom of information and journalists' responsibilities.

Panelists will include Time Pakistan bureau chief Hannah Bloch, political cartoonist Mark Fiore, National Public Radio London correspondent Julie McCarthy and San Francisco Chronicle executive foreign and national editor Andrew Ross. John Burks, chair of SFSU's Journalism Department, will moderate the discussion.

The Society of Professional Journalists is a 9,000-member national association that promotes freedom and ethics in journalism. SFSU is home to northern California's only active student chapter.

SFSU's Journalism Department is nationally recognized and one of the largest in the Bay Area. The department sponsors a wide range of student publications including the award-winning Golden Gate [X]press newspaper, magazine and Web edition. The department also is home to the Center for the Integration and Improvement of Journalism, a coaching and advocacy service working with college and high school students to promote ethnic diversity and balanced news coverage.