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Moving On

Issue 9, Fall 2009

By Lawrence Pintak

Lawrence Pintak

Lawrence Pintak

The Middle East is constantly evolving. So, too, Arab Media & Society. With this issue, I am handing over the publisher/co-editor reins to Hafez Mirazi, the new interim director of the Kamal Adham Center for Journalism Training and Research.

After four years as head of the Adham Center, I stepped down over the summer to assume a new position as founding dean of The Edward R. Murrow College of Communication at Washington State University. It is an exciting and somewhat daunting challenge to build a new program at a time when the global media industry is in such turmoil, and an incredible honor to head a college built around the legacy of the man whose name is synonymous with journalistic excellence.
I leave the Center and AMS in good hands. As many of you know, Hafez headed Al-Jazeera’s Washington, D.C. bureau for many years and then served as vice chairman of Al Hayat television.
This issue also marks the departure of co-editor Walter Armbrust and the conclusion of our publishing relationship with St. Anthony’s College and the arrival of our new managing editor, Jonathan Wright, the recently-retired Cairo bureau chief for Reuters. I cannot think of a better choice. Jonathan and I have known each other since the early 1980s when we were young reporters in Beirut. I know few people who were not born in the region who have the depth of knowledge of the Arab world.
For my part, I intend to stay deeply involved in the Arab world through a variety of projects. The only difference is my commute will be just a little bit longer.
Stephen Franklin and Mirette F. Mabrouk were your editors for this issue of Arab Media and Society. And we hope you will share our enthusiasm about the vistas and research presented here.

 

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Arab Media Wire

CPJ asks Jordanian king to toss out cyber law The Committee to Protect Journalists, a New York-based nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to defending press freedom worldwide, is deeply concerned about a provisional law on cyber crimes that was approved by the cabinet of ministers on August 3.
The Loss Of Popularity Of Egyptian Blogging The active blogs of a few years ago, which scrutinised social violence and confrontations between the opposition and the police, seem to have waned in popularity today. Their success was attained neither by Facebook nor by mini-blogs, like dormant volcanoes whose eruption has been postponed eternally.
Media Habits of MENA Youth - AUB/Issam Fares Institute report "The survey found the participants highly adept at using new media. They spent considerable time consuming new and traditional media, but much less time producing media content."
Kuwait likely to follow UAE, Saudi BlackBerry ban Kuwait officials are likely to follow Saudi Arabia and the UAE with a ban on certain BlackBerry services, local Arab media has reported.
UAE to suspend Blackberry service on security fears The United Arab Emirates' plan to suspend BlackBerry services in October has sparked concern among users in the Gulf Arab state over the impact it might have on free speech and on companies which rely on the services.
Al Jazeera Files a Lawsuit Against the Egyptian Newspaper Al Ahram Al Jazeera has filed a lawsuit against the Egyptian-based newspaper Al Ahram Newspaper following the publication of what it calls false and damaging statements about the international news network and its management. Al Jazeera says tThese allegations, published in June in an article entitled "Jazeerat Al-Taharrush" ("Al Jazeera an Island of Harassment"), were completely baseless, and without merit, and were mainly aimed at damaging the reputation of the Al Jazeera Network.
Re-thinking 'civil society' in the Arab world Rami Khouri on the role of NGOs in the Arab world
Journalism court threat to Iraqi media Media freedom in Iraq has taken another turn for the worse with the announcement of plans for a special court to handle journalism cases.

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