MCN Academy fosters talent development in Saudi through program for graduates

MCN Academy fosters talent development in Saudi through program for graduates
The first edition of the program launched in the summer and the second is due to launch in February 2025. (Supplied)
Short Url
Updated 23 September 2024
Follow

MCN Academy fosters talent development in Saudi through program for graduates

MCN Academy fosters talent development in Saudi through program for graduates
  • The 6-month program includes various disciplines

DUBAI: Regional advertising group Middle East Communications Network’s talent hub MCN Academy has launched a new graduate program in Saudi Arabia to attract and train young local talent.

The six-month program includes various disciplines such as advertising, media, PR, strategy, data, and social and digital media.

It will combine learning with hands-on experiences and behavioral guidance, including critical thinking and problem-solving. Students will be trained across the network’s agencies in Saudi Arabia, which include FP7 McCann, UM, MRM, and Weber Shandwick.

The first five months of the program focus on technical and behavioral skills training across disciplines and agencies, while the sixth month sees students work on a project that could result in an employment offer.

An MCN spokesperson told Arab News: “Based on the quality, engagement and project output, the objective is to offer talents an employment contract.”

The first edition of the program launched in the summer and the second is due to launch in February 2025.

The spokesperson added: “The courses run continuously every six months so a new cohort of graduates will begin in February, and so on.”

Shoaa Salman Alawni, who is part of the program, said that it marked “an important step” in her professional journey by allowing her to explore different fields within media and advertising before deciding on one.

After graduating from the College of Media and Communication at Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University, MCN Academy’s program had allowed her to “find professional support that enhanced my skills and gave me confidence in my choices,” she added. 

Yazan Farrash, a marketing graduate from Prince Sultan University, said that she chose to enroll as part of her co-op program, which required students to work at a company as part of the course.

He told Arab News: “I have been exposed to the many fields and functions of MCN’s agencies and, more importantly, I was given the opportunity to grow in each of these environments.”

The program is open to all Saudi graduates, who can apply through their universities, job fairs, or by emailing [email protected].


Renowned Syrian journalist Safaa Ahmad killed in Israeli airstrike on Damascus

Renowned Syrian journalist Safaa Ahmad killed in Israeli airstrike on Damascus
Updated 39 sec ago
Follow

Renowned Syrian journalist Safaa Ahmad killed in Israeli airstrike on Damascus

Renowned Syrian journalist Safaa Ahmad killed in Israeli airstrike on Damascus
  • The Israeli airstrike on Mezzeh, western Damascus, on Tuesday morning killed three civilians and wounded nine others, state news agency says

LONDON: Syria TV anchor Safaa Ahmad was killed on Tuesday morning in an Israeli airstrike on the Mezzeh district in Syria’s capital, Damascus.

State agency SANA said the strike killed three civilians, including Ahmad, and wounded nine others.

The Mezzeh district in western Damascus is home to many residential blocks, local businesses and diplomatic premises, including the Iranian Embassy.

Syria’s state television said in a statement it “mourns anchor Safaa Ahmad, who was martyred in the Israeli aggression on the capital Damascus.”

The Syrian military told SANA that Israel carried out “an air aggression with military aircraft and drones on Tuesday at dawn from the direction of the occupied Syrian Golan,” targeting several points in Damascus and its outskirts.

Syria’s air defense said they intercepted and shot down most of the Israeli missiles targeting the capital and its suburbs on Tuesday morning.

Journalist Ahmad, who hails from Homs, joined the state broadcaster Syria TV in 2002 and hosted several cultural talk shows and programs, including the flagship breakfast show “Sabah Al-Kheir.”

Reports of Israel’s strikes on the Syrian capital came as its military launched ground raids in neighboring Lebanon, marking a major escalation of its onslaught, which it claims is targeting the armed group Hezbollah.


‘I pleaded guilty to journalism,’ Wikileaks’ Assange

‘I pleaded guilty to journalism,’ Wikileaks’ Assange
Updated 01 October 2024
Follow

‘I pleaded guilty to journalism,’ Wikileaks’ Assange

‘I pleaded guilty to journalism,’ Wikileaks’ Assange
  • The Council of Europe brings together the 46 signatory states of the European Convention on Human Rights, with little say over Assange’s legal fate

STRASBOURG: Wikileaks founder Julian Assange on Tuesday said he was released after years of incarceration only because he had pleaded guilty to doing “journalism,” which he described as a pillar of a free society.
Assange spent most of the last 14 years either holed up in the Ecuadoran embassy in London to avoid arrest, or locked up at Belmarsh Prison in the British capital.
He was released from jail in June, after serving a sentence for publishing hundreds of thousands of confidential US government documents.
“I am not free today because the system worked. I am free today after years of incarceration because I pleaded guilty to journalism,” Assange told the Council of Europe rights body at its Strasbourg headquarters in his first public comments since his release.
“I eventually chose freedom over unrealisable justice... justice for me is now precluded,” Assange said, noting he had been facing a 175-year jail sentence.
Speaking calmly and flanked by his wife Stella who fought for his release, he added: “Journalism is not a crime, it is a pillar of a free and informed society.”
“The fundamental issue is simple. Journalists should not be prosecuted for doing their jobs,” said Assange.
The trove of confidential documents released by Wikileaks included searingly frank US State Department descriptions of foreign leaders, accounts of extrajudicial killings and intelligence gathering against allies.
Assange argued his case provided an insight into “how powerful intelligence organizations engage in transnational repression” against their foes, adding that this “cannot become the norm here.”

He said that during his incarceration “ground has been lost,” regretting that he now sees “more impunity, more secrecy and more retaliation for telling the truth.”
“Freedom of expression and all that flows from it is at a dark crossroads,” he told the hearing of the legal committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE).
“Let us all commit to doing our part to ensure the light of freedom never dims and the pursuit of truth will live on and the voices of many are not silenced by the interests of the few,” he said.
Assange’s case remains deeply contentious.
Supporters hail him as a champion of free speech and say he was persecuted by authorities and unfairly imprisoned. Detractors see him as a reckless blogger whose uncensored publication of ultra-sensitive documents put lives at risk and jeopardized US security.
US President Joe Biden, who is likely to issue some pardons before leaving office next January, has previously described Assange as a “terrorist.”
Assange’s timing and his choice of venue have puzzled some observers.
The Council of Europe brings together the 46 signatory states of the European Convention on Human Rights, with little say over Assange’s legal fate.
Assange is still campaigning for a US presidential pardon for his conviction under the Espionage Act.


Three journalists for independent media arrested in Moscow: NGO

Three journalists for independent media arrested in Moscow: NGO
Updated 01 October 2024
Follow

Three journalists for independent media arrested in Moscow: NGO

Three journalists for independent media arrested in Moscow: NGO
  • They were taken to a police station and two of them will be “charged with hooliganism,” the rights group said, adding that their mobile phones had been confiscated

WARSAW, Poland: Three journalists working for independent Russian media outlets were arrested in Moscow on Monday outside a concert celebrating the Kremlin’s claimed annexation of Ukrainian regions, a rights group said.
The concert marked two years since Russian President Vladimir Putin signed decrees annexing the eastern Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Lugansk along with the southern Zaporijjia and Kherson regions on September 30, 2022.
Citing the detainees’ relatives, human rights NGO OVD-info said one of the journalists worked at the news site Republic and the other two for SOTAvision.
They were taken to a police station and two of them will be “charged with hooliganism,” the rights group said, adding that their mobile phones had been confiscated.
SOTAvision on Telegram said its reporters — who were denied access to the celebration on the capital’s Red Square — had been arrested while interviewing spectators leaving the concert.
The outlet is one of the last Russian media still working to document the Kremlin’s crackdown on dissent.
Since the launch of Russia’s offensive in Ukraine in February 2022, the Kremlin has intensified its pressure on both foreign and independent press outlets in the country.
Both Republic and SOTAvision are classed as “foreign agents” by the authorities — a label used in Russia against critical voices.
 

 


Trump vows to prosecute Google for showing ‘bad’ stories on him

Trump vows to prosecute Google for showing ‘bad’ stories on him
Updated 28 September 2024
Follow

Trump vows to prosecute Google for showing ‘bad’ stories on him

Trump vows to prosecute Google for showing ‘bad’ stories on him
  • Trump complained that the search engine displays only positive articles about his Democratic rival Kamala Harris
  • "Hopefully the Justice Department will criminally prosecute them for this blatant Interference of Elections,” he said in a post on his Truth Social platform

SAN FRANCISCO, California: Donald Trump on Friday accused Google of showing only “bad stories” about him and vowed to have the tech giant prosecuted if he gets back in the White House.
Trump provided no backing for his accusation in a post on his Truth Social platform, in which he added that the search engine displays only positive articles about his Democratic rival Vice President Kamala Harris.
“This is an ILLEGAL ACTIVITY, and hopefully the Justice Department will criminally prosecute them for this blatant Interference of Elections,” he said in the post.
“If not, and subject to the Laws of our Country, I will request their prosecution, at the maximum levels, when I win the election.”
The Trump post came after a conservative group reported on what it said it found when doing a search on “Donald Trump presidential race 2024.”
“Both campaign websites consistently appear at the top of Search for relevant and common search queries,” Google said in response to an AFP inquiry.
“This report looked at a single rare search term on a single day a few weeks ago, and even for that search, both candidates’ websites ranked in the top results on Google.”
Google has been adamant that it does not manipulate search results to favor any political candidate.
The company does not disclose the inner workings of the software that powers its ubiquitous search engine.
However, factors known to influence search results for news stories include the timeliness and popularity of topics.
Trump is at the center of numerous criminal and civil cases in which he faces accusations including sexual abuse, paying hush money to a porn star, interfering with the 2020 election and trying to thwart the peaceful transition of power after President Joe Biden defeated him.
 


From the Middle East to London and back: Bloomberg host’s journey as a news anchor bridging cultures

From the Middle East to London and back: Bloomberg host’s journey as a news anchor bridging cultures
Updated 30 September 2024
Follow

From the Middle East to London and back: Bloomberg host’s journey as a news anchor bridging cultures

From the Middle East to London and back: Bloomberg host’s journey as a news anchor bridging cultures
  • Joumana Bercetche tells Arab News how she went from successful banker to one of the leading Arab voices in international media

DUBAI: Joumana Bercetche’s career as a news anchor is about more than just presenting financial headlines, it is about telling the story of the Arab world to the West.

As the new host of Bloomberg’s “Horizons Middle East and Africa,” Bercetche has become one of the leading voices of the region in the international media.

Her job goes beyond covering markets and geopolitical events; it is also about breaking down complex narratives and fostering understanding between two distinct cultures.

“I see my role as two-fold: I am a host that covers economic and geopolitical issues but I am also a storyteller and I have a real opportunity to tell stories from the region,” she told Arab News.

“There is so much energy in this part of the world. The fact that I can speak and connect to people in Arabic makes them at ease and feel more comfortable to speak to me.”

Born in the UK and raised in Lebanon, Bercetche’s deep ties to both the Arab world and the West have helped her navigate the complexities of explaining the Middle East on a global stage.

After earning a degree in Economics from the American University of Beirut, she spent more than a decade working in London’s financial sector, at institutions such as Citigroup, Goldman Sachs and Merrill Lynch, before switching careers to pursue journalism in 2017.

“I enjoyed what I was doing in banking but I felt too boxed in playing a certain role. I felt I had more ability of going broader in the topics I was interested in,” Bercetche said.

In 2016, therefore, she began to think about other opportunities that might suit her skill set.

“I asked myself, what would I like to do? I am interested in markets, I am curious, I like to chat with people and I like to communicate. But being a broadcast journalist wasn’t necessarily the path I was thinking of pursuing.”

In fact, her foray into journalism came about by chance. After creating research videos for former employer Citigroup, her work caught the eye of someone in the media industry who asked if she had ever considered a career in broadcast journalism.

“I decided to give it a try,” Bercetche said. “Changing paths and careers requires a leap of faith. I was excited but anxious as well. I thought, ‘What if I don’t become successful? What if this isn’t the right move to make?’ But then, in the worst case I could always go back to my banking job, so I took my leap of faith.”

The leap paid off. After working as a CNBC anchor in London, Bercetche joined Bloomberg in Dubai in February this year and is now one of the few Arab women who hold prominent positions in the international business media.

As a show host on a channel that reaches more than 400 million households worldwide, she views her role as a unique chance to share stories about the rapid transformations in the region, particularly as countries such as the Saudi Arabia and the UAE pursue bold development initiatives.

“You get the sense that something is being built,” Bercetche said. “You have Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, you have the UAE and other neighboring countries also working on their own visions, you walk around and see all this construction — there is excitement in the air.”

Moving from London to Dubai was another significant life decision but Bercetche feels a deep connection with the region and its future.

“There is a sense that it’s a period of development,” she said. “You can see the transformative impact of the high-level decision-makers.”

Despite her success, the transition to such a high-profile career was not without its challenges, and as a TV anchor she said she has learned to develop “a thick skin” when dealing with public scrutiny.

“If someone is criticizing you, consider the source,” she said. “Is it coming from someone you respect? Is it constructive? If the answer is yes, then take it on.

“If it’s being directed indiscriminately from someone who’s lashing out at you from some unknown profile online, ignore it.”

Bercetche is a strong advocate for the role of women in media, particularly in terms of balancing a career with family life. While she acknowledges the support she has received from female bosses throughout her career, she admits that juggling her job as a news anchor with motherhood has been her greatest challenge.

“Becoming a mother has been the biggest gift to me,” she said. “There is a lot of pressure on working parents to find the right balance between home and work life.

While she dedicates most of her time to her young children, she especially takes advantage of any extra time she gets from finishing early on some days. “It’s always a balancing act; it’s not easy. You never fully get over the guilt, you just park it,” she said.

Reflecting on the milestones in her career so far, Bercetche said that success is a moving target, depending on the phase of one’s life.

“Starting my career in London was an experience in itself,” she added. “As for my journalism career, I am proud of what we’ve done, collectively as a team, in such a short period of time so far. A milestone’s a moving target.”

Her advice to aspiring journalists is simple: “Work hard. You have to be curious and remember the most useful question to ask: ‘Why?’

“Try to get to the bottom of the facts and get a convincing answer. Learn from your mistakes. Nobody’s flawless but it’s how you respond to the mistakes that will determine the success and longevity of your career. Be patient; things happen in due time.”