ArabiCulture News

Queen attends opening session of Arab and World Media Conference

   AMMAN (JT) - Her Majesty Queen Rania joined leading journalists and media executives from around the world at the Arab Thought Foundation's (ATF) fourth annual conference on Monday, affirming her confidence in the key role of the media in the region. Queen Rania, together with Crown Prince of Dubai and UAE Defence Minister Sheikh Mohammad Ben Rashid Al Maktoum, attended the opening session of the conference, which included remarks by ATF President Prince Khalid Al Faisal and Arab League Secretary General Amr Musa. The conference, held under the theme "Getting it Right," is jointly organised by the ATF and the Dubai Press Club. During the two-day event, the delegates will discuss changes in the Arab world in order to develop a deeper understanding of the region. The highly interactive sessions yesterday raised key challenges in the region, including the role of the media in the political reform process, democracy in the Arab world, news coverage in the region, media censorship, as well as the ethical challenges facing journalists around the world. Key speakers at the conference include Prince Alwaleed Ben Talal, Orascom Chairman and CEO Naguib Sawiris, Reuters Gulf Bureau Chief Samia Nakhoul, Al Arabiya General Manager Abdul Rahman Al Rashed, TIME Magazine Managing Editor Jim Kelly, and Deborah Amos, a reporter for the American National Public Radio News. Meanwhile, on Sunday Queen Rania paid a visit to Dubai Media City and toured the headquarters of Al Arabiya and MBC with Sheikh Walid Al Ibrahimi and the networks' senior executives. As a firm believer in the fact that the media can be an agent of change, the Queen launched the Arab Media Network for Human Development during this year's World Economic Forum in May. A regional organisation based in Jordan, the network seeks to activate the role of the media in promoting and addressing Arab human development issues and strengthen partnerships and networks between media networks and outlets and civil society at large. The network is an offshoot of the Arab Women's Media Campaign, which was launched by the Queen, together with CEOs of Arab satellite channels and opinion leaders, during her presidency of the Arab Women's Summit (2002-2004). THE JORDAN TIMES