Columbia International Affairs Online: Working Papers

CIAO DATE: 09/2009

Uncovered: Arab Journalists Scrutinize Their Profession

Thomas Gorguissian, Rami Khouri, Salameh Nematt, Hafez al-Mirazi

September 2005

Center for Contemporary Arab Studies

Abstract

This conference is entitled “Uncovered: Arab Journalists Scrutinize Their Profession” because we want to dissect, uncover, and analyze the state of the Arab media. Four distinguished Arab journalists will lead us in that quest. They are insiders, people who really know the business, and I anticipate hearing some very insightful comments and views. There is an enormous amount of interest here in the United States, and especially in Washington DC, about the explosive development of the Arab media in recent years. There have been many technological developments that have made the Arab media much more active and important in public affairs, and in shaping and framing culture and values, than the media was in the past. Here at the Center, the Arab Information Project has been monitoring the new media since 1995, holding a number of workshops and operating a website (www.georgetown.edu/research/arabtech) which is linked to CCAS’s main website (http://ccas.georgetown.edu). The project has put online (at http://nmit. georgetown.edu) a number of working papers dealing with aspects of the information revolution in the Arab world. The Center regularly offers graduate seminars on the Arab media and information technology.