Journalists from around the world are currently meeting in Doha to discuss reporting at a time when journalists are under threat like never before.
The IPI World Congress 2016 runs from March 19 to 21 under the title: Safety and Professionalism in a Dangerous World.
Barbara Trionfi, Executive Director, IPI, says events in the Arab World represent a big portion of the world’s global coverage these days. Journalists are covering political upheaval and social change. There are issues like technical innovation and press freedom restrictions to take into account, booming social media platforms and powerful state-controlled news outlets. And the Arab World is a source of debate, controversy and inspiration.
The Congress will look at important ongoing developments in the region’s media landscapes, place them in an international context, and identify trends and patterns, as well as the best practices for journalists to be able to cover events timely, safely and independently, she says.
The Congress will include the “Inside Scoop: Myanmar’s Post-Election Media Landscape,” presented by Soe Myint, Mizzima Editor-in-Chief and Managing Director.
With the National League for Democracy (NLD) assuming power in Myanmar, Soe Myint will talk about the country’s media landscape and what strategies the newly-elected government should implement for the future of media development in Myanmar. As part of his presentation, he will address legislative initiatives, including the urgent need for a right to information law. He will also discuss what he feels should be done with existing state media in both the print and broadcast sectors, as well as how to ensure that ethnic media in Myanmar are given every possible chance to succeed.
Ms Trionfi says together with their host, the Al Jazeera Media Network, they have developed a new structure for the Congress to offer IPI members and other participants not only a variety of discussion topics and speakers, but also formats so that Congress participants can engage in the discussions, share their experience and knowledge, network, and learn from one another as well as from some of the world’s top experts.
The conference comes at an important time. Never before have journalists come under threat, as seen in the deaths, injuries, imprisonment and threats.
Under the title “Journalism at Risk”, the programme will tackle the ever-important issue of safety of journalists, looking at developments in the region and across the globe. It will do so through panel discussions with some of the top international and regional commentators, interviews with media leaders, town hall debates and hands-on workshops with experienced trainers.
Issues to be covered during the three-day event include covering extremism, the problems posed by operating on the internet, safety and security, citizen journalism, funding models for quality journalism, and covering the refugee crisis.
In addition, the event will screen a documentary, “The Sound Man,” that looks at the work of sound engineer Abdul Ramadhan and his work in East Africa.
The event can be followed on Twitter at - https://twitter.com/IPI_WoCo