THE AMBASSADORS
THE AMBASSADORS
NEWS
Volume 1,
Issues 2
September 1998
Arabs & the Media
Fighting stereotypes in western press coverage
By Adel Iskandar
"Welcome to the land that gave language to civilization." Those were the opening words at the 1998 third annual conference of the Arab U.S. Association for Communication Educators (AUSACE) held in Cairo, Egypt. The conference's objective were to shed some light on issues of responsible coverage of Middle Eastern events in western press, the growing reality of transnational media and the recent challenges facing online media and publication. The Ambassadors brings you a comprehensive review of the event.
International
media staff and communication educators from various journalism
departments in the U.S., Europe and the Middle East met over a
4-day period (Sept. 7-10) in Cairo, Egypt to discuss the many
issues facing international media generally, and US-Arab media
specifically. The conference, attended by over 150 professionals,
students, was hosted by the American University in Cairo. Mr.
Mohamed Safwat El-Sherif, the Egyptian Minister of Information
gave the keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the
conference.
The Arab-U.S. Association for Communication Educators (AUSACE) is an international organization whose membership consists of professors, educators, media professionals and students in the Middle East, Europe and the United States and UN staff. The association was established at Georgia State University in 1995 by Arab and U.S. educators. AUSACE's main objectives and activities include encouraging and disseminating cross-cultural, intellectual and scientific dialogue. Its board of governors is guided by a mixed Arab and U.S. membership which delegates international conferences to advance teaching, research and service in the media sector.
The Cairo 1998 conference is AUSACE's third international event held in an Arab country. The 1996 and 1997 AUSACE annual conferences were held in Tangier, Morocco and Amman, Jordan respectively. The conference attendence came from various Arab countries including Egypt, Gaza, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Other countries represented in the conference include Germany, Turkey, Cyprus, Canada, Turkey and the United Kingdom.
The theme of this year's conference is one of timely significance for the Arab world, with the issues of privatization and transnational communication at the forefront of international media. While satellite television gains rapid popularity in the Arab world, controversies of the media's promotion of novel economic and social values are revisited. The five principal topics discussed within the conference's 7 sessions are: media technology, cultural communication, educational technology , women and communication and advertising/public relations.
Among the highlights of the conference was a special session dedicated to Transnational Media and Terrorism. Dr. Yahya Kamalipour of Purdue University showed an excerpt from the Hollywood 1995 production Executive Decision depicting terrorists as Arabs and devout Muslims. Following the display, Dr. Kamalipour stressed the urgency in dealing with irresponsible and stereotypical depiction of Arabs, Muslims, and other ethnic and religious groups in western public media and entertainment.
Not only was media coverage analyzed, but the very topic of terrorism was addressed by the session's panelists. In the wake of flourishing international terrorism, and following the bombing of two American Embassies, Mr. Nabil Osman of the Egyptian State Information Service said that a plan to combat and curb international terrorism cannot be achieved before an international specialized conference on the phenomenon can be organized under the auspices of the United Nations.
Specialized topics such as the role
market economy plays in communication was presented by Mr. Jihad
Fakhreddine of the Pan Arab Research Centre in UAE. A networking
plan between the communication departments of Georgia State
University and the American University in Cairo was presented by
Ms. Michelle Clark. Dr. Douglas Barthlow of Georgia State
University proposed the use of TV production as an educational
tool in journalism departments and to improve the marketability
of students in the workplace. Other seminars presented by session
panelists included the prospects of cyber cafe's in spreading
internet literacy in Egypt, freedom of press in the Arab World
and most importantly U.S. news media coverage of the Middle East.
A special session was also dedicated to women and communication. Presentations covered vital issues including equal opportunity for women in the workplace, strategies for empowering women to pursue careers in the media, and reviews of prominent women writers.
"Employers and educators must realize the capabilities and potential of women in the media business," said Octavia Nasr of CNN International. "We must be prepared to invest in women both in academic institutions and in the workplace."
The conference attendents have expressed their satisfaction with the conference's organization and content. The success of AUSACE Cairo 1998 is a testament to the increased co-operation between U.S. and Arab educators and media personnell. It has also been a valuable educational opportunity for all attendents.
"This conference is an opportunity to provide structured occasions for further discussion of issues related to the theme," said Dr. Hussein Amin, the conference chair and faculty member at the American University in Cairo's Adham Centre for Television Journalism.
"I'm very pleased with how the conference went," explained Dr. Amin who is on the board of trustees of the Egyptian Radio and Television Union (ERTU). "I believe many critical issues were discussed and lessons were learnt."
The Ambassadors also presented an abstract & research paper in the conference, and Mr. Adel Iskandar, copy-editor, gave a presentation before one of the sessions entitled "Arab Immigrants and Western Media: A Strategy of Isolationism and Niche-Building - The Model of a Canadian City."
Related Sites
The Arab-US
Association for Communication Educators
(AUSACE) Official Homepage
Transnational
Broadcasting Studies, launched by the American
University in Cairo's Adham Centre,
is the first electronic journal to come out of the Middle East.
The publication features articles on
transnationalizationand globalization of media and broadcasting.
The American University in Cairo (AUC) Homepage
The Center for International Media Education CIME at Georgia
State University established
the Arab-U.S. Association for Communication
Educators (AUSACE) in 1995.
Email: ambassadors@sprint.ca
