Al Bayan and Dubai Press Club organise forum on 'Business Journalism in UAE'

The theme of the forum is 'Business Journalism in the UAE - Current Status and Future Trends'. Participants will include leading media professionals, academics and businessmen from diverse segments of media.

Dr. Mohammad Al Mutawee, Supervisor of Research Unit, Al Bayan, said: "The conference aims to analyse the current status of business journalism in the UAE and highlight the need for the media to keep pace with international trends. It will discuss the development of business journalism in the UAE in recent years, such as the emergence of larger dedicated business sections in the newspapers and specialised business journalists."

Maryam Bin Fahad, Executive Director, Dubai Press Club, said: "We are honoured to host the Third Annual Al Bayan Forum as it is a key function of the Club to support the development of media in the UAE and the region. We are confident this Forum will highlight the challenges faced by business journalists and suggest ways to raise journalism standards to international levels."

The Forum will include five sessions. The first session titled, 'Business Development and Local Journalism' will be led by Dr.Mohammad Al Mutawee and will discuss two topics.

The first, 'Business Media and Economic Development' will be addressed by Dr. Soheir ElSaba, Economic Advisor, The Executive Council, Ibrahim Khayat, Media Researcher and Reem Obeidat, Communication & Media Consultant / Trainer.

The second topic, 'The Competition Between Business Journalism and e-Media' - will be discussed by Jad Al-Akhawi, Vice President - Head of Programming and News, CNBCarabia, Ahmed Omerabi, Editorial Manager, Al-Watan Newspaper (Qatar) and Dr. Hanan Youssef, Visiting Professor - Mass Communication, Sharjah University.

The second session, 'Local Business Journalism - Current Status and Strategies of Development' will be led by businessman Dr. Ahmed Seif Belhasa and will focus on three topics. The first topic will discuss 'Business Section Editorial in the Newspapers'. Speakers include Taj El-Deen Abed El-Haq, Editor-in- Charge, Asharq Al-Awsat Abu Dhabi and Dr. Saleh Suleiman Abd El-Azim, Assistant Professor - Sociology, UAE University.

The second topic will be 'Editing and Tools of Free Market Media' to be addressed by Dr. Abdel Rahman Azzi, Professor - Mass Communication, Sharjah University.

The third topic, 'The Need for Development of Media Institutions and How to Raise Awareness of Business Culture' will be addressed by Ali Shahdour, Editorial Manager for Economic Affairs, Al-Bayan Newspaper, and Dr. Mohammad Kirat, Professor - Mass Communication, Sharjah University.

The third session, 'Perception of Business Leaders about Business Journalism', will be led by Dhaen Shaheen, Editor-in-Chief, Al Bayan newspaper. Speakers include Ahmed Humaid Al-Tayer, Chairman of the Emirates Bank Group, Dr. Rawda Al-Mutawa, Chairperson of Executive Board, NBWC, Issa Kazem, Director General, Dubai Financial Market (DFM), Dr. Fatima Al-Shamsi, Secretary General, UAE University, Nasser Al-Nuwais, Chairman of Board, Rotana Hotel Group and Dr. Ahmed Seif Belhasa, Chairman of Balhasa Group.

The fourth session, 'The Role and Responsibility of Local Business Journalism' will be led by Dr. Fatima Al-Shamsi, Secretary General, UAE University. This session will focus on two topics. The 'Role of Local Business Journalism in Society' will be addressed by Nasser Ghannam, Media Expert, Sharjah Radio & Television. 'Freedom of the Press and Responsibility of Media Institutions' will be addressed by Abdel Hamid Al-Kumaiti, Lawyer, Journalists Association, UAE and Ghassan Mukahhal, Senior Producer, Al-Arabia.

Reem Obeidat will lead the final session 'Future Trends of Business Journalism'. Two topics will be addressed under the theme. The first one, 'Future Challenges of Business Journalism in the UAE' will be addressed by Mohammad Al-Mezel, Assistant Editor, and Hassan Abdel Rahman, Senior Editor, ITP.

The second topic 'The Role of Business Journalism in Supporting the Development Process' will be addressed by Ali Ibrahim, Deputy General Director for Executive Affairs, Department of Economic Development - Dubai.

The event will conclude with a round-up session on the recommendations of the Forum.