NMC, U.S. Embassy organise workshop on news editing

Abu Dhabi, Sept 17, 2012 (WAM) - A veteran media expert conducted yesterday a training workshop on news editing for journalists working with Emirates News Agency (WAM) in Emirates of Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Fujairah, Umm Al Qaiwain and Ras Al Khaimah. Magda Abu Fadil, Director of Media Unlimited, is leading the five-day training event, jointly organised by UAE's National Media Council (NMC) and U.S. Embassy. Media Unlimited was founded to establish and maintain high standards for professional journalists and organisations or individuals dealing with the media across the Middle East/North Africa region. Jeffrey Ladenson, Press Attaché, US Embassy, told the event that media in the UAE maintains advanced level of progress and transparency. He praised the constructive cooperation with the NMC in training and knowledge-sharing, adding that continuing partnership demonstrates the depth and ever-growing bonds between the two countries. Jamal Nasser Al Suwaider, WAM Managing Editor, said training programmes the NMC and U.S. Embassy jointly conduct aim at providing journalists with basic skills and practices for professional media, evolving social media and code of ethics. ''The workshop is part of an integrated training programme the NMC is carrying out in collaboration with stakeholders within the UAE including the U.S. Embassy, '' he added. Trainees will get knowledge about history of journalism, online journalism, social media and ethics of bloggers and tips about covering conflicts/wars/disasters and safety for journalists. The workshop will also lend attention to integrity and clarity in reporting events. They will also acquire skills on access to resources through social media like Twitter. Other topics include the need for online research, reliance on archives, establishing an extensive network of good sources and learning how to deal with them in a crisis. The participants will learn about proper coordination between editors and field reporters and newsroom dynamics. For her part, Ms. Abu Fadil called for a genuine media revival in the Arab World so as to catch up with latest technological developments and build media persons' capacities to improve their performance. The veteran media professional said that she is still interested in participating in such training workshops to further develop her skills and get acquainted with advanced media trends. Magda Abu-Fadil boasts of years of experience as a foreign correspondent and editor with international news organisations such as Agence France-Presse and United Press International. She headed the Journalism Training Program at the American University of Beirut, which she founded. She wrote for Arab dailies Asharq Al-Awsat and Al Riyadh, Washington-based Defence News, was Washington bureau chief of Events magazine, and was Washington correspondent for London-based The Middle East magazine. Abu-Fadil served as director of the Institute for Professional Journalists at the Lebanese American University. She taught journalism at her alma mater, American University in Washington, D.C. She conducts seminars and workshops in English, Arabic and French for professional journalists across the Arab world, collaborates with international organisations on media projects, consults on media education programs, and speaks regularly at international conferences. – Emirates News Agency, WAM