RIYADH, 31 August 2005 — The challenges confronting the Arabic media will be the theme of an international seminar to be held here from Nov. 26 to 28, according to Dr. Ali Al-Karni, president of the Saudi Association for Media and Communications (SAMC).
Delegates from the Kingdom and other Arab countries will participate in the seminar which will discuss an Arabic media curriculum for university students and postgraduate studies leading to a doctoral degree.
“Distinguished journalists and academics from the Arab world will interact with the participants and share with them their experiences in the print and mass media,” Dr. Al-Karni said, adding that the seminar would also focus on laying down criteria for evaluating and appointing the faculty. Accreditation of the program at the graduate and postgraduate levels would be reviewed.
According to journalists, a major challenge facing the Arabic media stems from satellite channels on the one hand and lack of transparency in the release of information at the government level on the other. This puts the journalists in a bind as they struggle to reconcile the demands of their profession with the gag on the media.
The seminar will also deal with relevant aspects of translation in the media field and investigate the specifics of professional translation. The organizers have announced that the deadline for submitting research papers is Sept. 14. The research papers should not exceed 35 pages on A4 paper. The type and size of the font for the transcript is 18 point (Traditional Arabic).
A summary of the research paper should be written in Arabic and English on A4 size paper in addition to a brief CV of the participant along with a passport-size (6cm x 4cm) photograph. Participants have been asked to furnish these details on CD or floppy disk.
