Workshops and master-classes, plus interactive presentations and exclusive research findings set to be highlights; media professionals from across Arab world to pick up new skills and techniques for success.
The World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA), in partnership with UNESCO, will host the 6th edition of the Arab Free Press Forum, to be held from 24 to 26 November in the Tunisian capital, Tunis.
WAN-IFRA's partnership with UNESCO has ensured media professionals from across the Arab world can meet to exchange ideas, experience and best practice, particularly on the practical issues surrounding the new media landscape.
"The Arab Free Press Forum will enable participants from across the region to brainstorm about the innovation opportunities for public interest and independent journalism in fast-changing times," said Guy Berger, Director of the Freedom of Expression and Media Development Division at UNESCO
Sessions on cyber-security, emerging best practices for online commenting, separating online fact from fiction, monetizing social media and the UN Action Plan on Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity will ensure participants emerge from the Forum with key skills they can implement in their own newsrooms.
UNESCO will lead an expert discussion on trends in freedom of expression and media development in the Arab Region and a workshop on the UN Action Plan.
Practical sessions at the Arab Free Press Forum will include:
- How to Separate Fact from Fiction Online, addressing online information and how to separate "news from noise." The session will be conducted by Malachy Browne, News Editor at Storyful, the world's first social media news agency.
- Online Commenting: Emerging Best Practices, a presentation of WAN-IFRA's recent report on encouraging civil conversations in the digital world, to be made by Larry Kilman, Deputy CEO and Executive Director of Communications and Public Affairs at WAN-IFRA.
- Under Surveillance - A "Mini Master-class", which will provide practical advice on cyber-security for journalists with award-winning author and security expert Alan Pearce. The interactive session will emphasize the protection of sources and how to best safeguard information online.
- Monetizing Social Media - A "Mini Master-class", which will introduce innovative ways to monetize social media and contribute to the sustainability of independent media. Through a series of case studies, UNESCO expert Courtney Radsch will provide practical tips for leveraging the full potential of social media.
The Forum will open in the evening of Sunday 24 November with a gallery exhibition of local Tunisian cartooning talent, highlighting freedom of expression through satire and addressing its role in the daily news agenda.
The Forum will also feature a session on the UN Action Plan on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity, and an Ethical Journalism Network seminar on ethics for Arab journalists, in partnership with the Norwegian Institute of Journalism.
The 6th Arab Free Press Forum will be held with support from the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland, Sweden, International Media Support (IMS), Canal France International (CFI), Free Press Unlimited, the Ethical Journalism Network, Egypt Media Development Program, Google Egypt, "Yakadha" Association for Democracy and a Civil State (Vigilance), NAWAAT.org (Independent collective of Tunisian bloggers), the Tunisian Centre for Press Freedom and the African Centre for Training of Journalists and Communicators (CAPJC) and Beirut's An-Nahar newspaper.
