Dubai Press Club announces agenda for 17th Arab Media Forum
Dubai Press Club (DPC) today (March 27, 2018) announced the agenda for the 17th edition of the Arab Media Forum (AMF), which will be held under the patronage of Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, at Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai, from 3-4 April 2018.
Held under the theme ‘Impactful Media Trends’, the 2018 edition of AMF is set to bring together more than 2,500 prominent regional and international media figures and thoughts leaders. Apart from high-profile local speakers, the two-day event features 50 speakers representing 20 countries from across the Arab region and the world.
Prominent media personalities, writers and thought leaders will share their views on diverse issues with the aim of forging a new vision for the media that supports the aspirations of the region’s people.
Dubai Fireworks display. Courtesy Emaar Properties
The 17th edition of the AMF will examine the impact of regional political developments on media, especially with regard to professional media values like objectivity and impartiality. The Forum will discuss key changes in the form and content of Arab media brought by technological developments. This year’s AMF will also discuss trends related to audiences in the digital era including the impact of artificial intelligence on the press and ways of engaging audiences in a digital world.
The keynote speaker at this year’s AMF will be the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Bahrain Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, who will present his insights on the major issues affecting the region, their impact on the media and the role played by media themselves in the changes sweeping across the region.
President of Dubai Press Club (DPC) and Chairperson of the AMF Organising Committee Her Excellency Mona Ghanem Al Marri said the AMF will take a close look at the impact of recent developments in the Arab region on the media and explore ways of instilling strong professional and ethical values in the industry. “The rapid and complex transformations taking place in the region have brought many challenges, which the media is not immune to. The annual forum is the ideal platform to analyse the current situation of the media industry and address its current weaknesses, given its historic role as a partner in the development of societies,” Al Marri said.
She also said that the fast pace of technological development is transforming media practices. With the onset of the technological revolution, leaders of Arab media organisations have a responsibility to develop new initiatives that will enable media to be in tune with new developments and maintain the highest level of professionalism and competitiveness. At a time when some media outlets have resorted to fake news and fabricated stories to serve their own agendas, it is important to reinforce professional values. This, she said, will help the media regain its reputation and credibility.
Al Marri also said that the key topics that will be discussed at this year’s AMF were carefully selected to promote a productive discussion. She praised the quality of speakers, who will help analyse the stark realities of the region’s media and generate new ideas to shape its future.
Panel discussions at this year’s Forum will cover topics such as ‘Jerusalem At the Heart of Media’, ‘Emirati Media Trends’, and ‘Changing Media Landscape’.
The Forum will feature a series of ‘20 Minute Sessions’, in which prominent media personalities will discuss vital media industry issues. Topics covered in this series include ‘Artificial Intelligence and the Future of the Press’ and ‘Facebook: Changing the Media Landscape’, among others.
Ray Hanania is an award winning political and humor columnist who analyzes American and Middle East politics, and life in general. He is an author of several books.
Hanania covered Chicago Politics and Chicago City Hall from 1976 through 1992 at the Daily Southtown and the Chicago Sun-Times. He began writing in 1975 publishing The Middle Eastern Voice newspaper in Chicago (1975-1977). He later published “The National Arab American Times” newspaper (2004-2007).
Hanania writes weekly columns on Middle East and American Arab issues as Special US Correspondent for the Arab News ArabNews.com, at TheArabDailyNews.com, and at SuburbanChicagoland.com. He has published weekly columns in the Jerusalem Post newspaper, YNetNews.com, Newsday, the Orlando Sentinel, Houston Chronical, and Arlington Heights Daily Herald.
Hanania is the recipient of four (4) Chicago Headline Club “Peter Lisagor Awards” for Column writing. In November 2006, he was named “Best Ethnic American Columnist” by the New American Media. In 2009, Hanania received the prestigious Sigma Delta Chi Award for Writing from the Society of Professional Journalists. He is the recipient of the MT Mehdi Courage in Journalism Award. He was honored for his writing skills with two (2) Chicago Stick-o-Type awards from the Chicago Newspaper Guild. In 1990, Hanania was nominated by the Chicago Sun-Times editors for a Pulitzer Prize for his four-part series on the Palestinian Intifada.
His writings have also been honored by two national Awards from ADC for his writing, and from the National Arab American Journalists Association.
Hanania is the US Special Correspondent for the Arab News Newspaper, covering Middle East and Arab American issues. He writes for the Southwest News newspaper group writing on mainstream American issues.
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