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A group of 13 Arab journalists learned about election processes, laws, and sharpened writing skills in a mock election during a 5-day course held in Beirut from 19-23 September 2011.
The workshop, organised by the Federation of Arab News Agencies (FANA), focused on election coverage in a democracy and the media’s role in this process. The workshop, held at the FANA training centre with trainers from the Reuters Foundation, was designed to help journalists prepare for elections in their countries.
Several Arab nations are facing elections this year, with the United Arab Emirates preparing for a poll of the federation's parliament, the Federal National Council, as the journalists met. These are only the second elections in the UAE since independence in 1971, the last being in 2006. Egypt is also in the international spotlight as it prepares to hold parliamentary and presidential elections this year following the ousting of President Hosni Mubarak.
“We’ve leant about election coverage and the importance of the media’s role to ensure a fair and balanced election,” said Hasan el-Serhan from the Jordan News Agency. “Spending a week here with other journalists from the region was like being part of a mini Arab summit and we all learnt from each other.”
The group was addressed by three guest speakers during the week. Dr Farid Ayar, Secretary General of FANA, spoke about his work as a journalist, particularly in Iraq. Dominic Evans, Reuters bureau chief Levant who is based in Beirut, told the group about his experiences, good and bad, covering elections across the Middle East. Yara Nasser, executive director of the Lebanese Association of Democratic Elections, stressed the importance of the media’s role in a fair election and the importance of giving political parties and candidates equal access to the media.
Attendees on the course were:
- Mohammad Ahmad Yehya Mohammad : Middle East News Agency (MENA)
- Ahmad Ben Hasan Kashoub: Oman News Agency
- Hasan el-Serhan : Jordan News Agency
- Sana’a el-Kourdi : Jordan News Agency
- Khalifa Jassem Ali el-Jiham el-Kawari: Qatar News Agency
- el-Tayeb Kazrar : Maghreb Arab Press
- Antoinette Abou Elias: National News Agency
- Abdallah Saoud el-Sharhan el-Shoumari: Saudi Press Agency
- Dina Salame : Syrian Arab News Agency
- Makawi Mohammad Mohammad Ahmad: Sudan News Agency
- Youssef el-Tatan: Kuwait News Agency
-Ehsan Al-Hareish: Emirates News Agency
-Mansour Al-Higt: The Saba (Yemen) News Agency
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