HE President Emile Lahoud

HE Information Minister Ghazi Aridi

IPI Director Johann Fritz

Seminar Coordinator Mahmoud Tarabay

IPJ Director Magda Abu-Fadil

Day 1: Wednesday May 9, 2001

8:00 - 9:30 AM

Registration in Irwin Hall, Lebanese American University (LAU) Beirut Campus.

9:30-10:30 AM

Opening ceremony, speeches and reception (LAU - Irwin Hall Auditorium, Beirut Campus). Opening Statements:

• Ms. Magda Abu-Fadil, Director, Institute for Professional Journalists (IPJ), Lebanese American University, Beirut, Lebanon
• Mr. Johann P. Fritz, Director, International Press Institute (IPI), Vienna, Austria
• Dr. Riyad F. Nassar, President, Lebanese American University, Beirut, Lebanon
• H.E. Ghazi Aridi, Lebanese Information Minister

10:30-11:00 AM

Coffee break (Irwin Hall Terrace)

11:00 AM-12:30 PM

Session I: "Media Laws and Regulations in Lebanon"
Print media; broadcast media.

• Dr. Mahmoud Tarabay, Assistant Professor of Communication, Lebanese American University, Beirut, Lebanon (Chair)
• Dr. Ali Rammal, Director, Faculty of Information and Documentation (Branch I), Lebanese University
• Mr. Abdel Hadi Mahfouz, President, Audio Visual Media Council, Lebanon
• Mr. Nayef Krayem, Chairman/General Manager, Al Manar TV, Lebanon
• Dr. Georges Assaf, Director, Institute for Human Rights, Beirut Bar Association, Lebanon
• Dr. Georges Assaf, Director, Institute for Human Rights, Beirut Bar Association, Lebanon

12:30-2:00 PM

Lunch break (LAU Cafeteria)

2:00-3:30 PM

Session II: "New Media in the Arab World"

• Mr. Joseph Samaha, Managing Editor, Al Hayat daily, UK (Chair)
• Mr. Francesco Diasio, Executive Director, AMISnet, Radio Agency, Italy
• Mr. Jawad Adra, Managing Partner, Information International, Lebanon
• Dr. Imad Bachir, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Information and Documentation, Lebanese University
• Dr. Nadim Mounla, CEO, Future TV, Lebanon

3:30-3:45 PM

Coffee Break (LRC 21)

3:45-5:30 PM

Session III: "The Manifold Pressures on Journalists"
Intervention and interference by political and other pressure groups; pressure by owners; advertisers and public relations; competition and market forces; conflicts of interests; lack of resources.

• Mr. Gebran Tueni, Publisher, An-Nahar daily, Lebanon (Chair)
• Mr. Victor Kocher, Correspondent for Arab Countries, Neue Zürcher Zeitung, Switzerland
• Ms. Telia Herold, Head of Special Radio Projects, ORF (Austrian Broadcasting Corporation)
• Mr. Faisal Salman, Editor, As-Safir daily, Lebanon
• Dr. George Kallas, Director, Faculty of Information and Documentation (Branch II), Lebanese University

8:00 PM

Dinner. Guest speaker: Ms. Octavia Nasr, Senior International Editor, CNN International, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Day 2: May 10, 2001

8:00 - 9:00 AM

Late Registration (LRC 21)

9:00-10:30 AM

Session IV: "Quality Media vs. Tabloid Press"
Credibility; accuracy and objectivity; invasion of privacy; protection of sources; media as a watchdog; training of staff.

• Ms. May Kahale, Senior Lebanon Correspondent, Al Riyadh daily, Saudi Arabia (Chair)
• Dr. Leonard Teel, Director, Center for International Media Education, Georgia State University, USA
• Dr. Nabil Dajani, Professor & Chair, Department of Social & Behavioral Sciences, American University of Beirut, Lebanon
• Mr. Robert J. Haiman, Distinguished Editor-in-Residence, The Poynter Institute for Media Studies, St. Petersburg, Florida, USA, and Freedom Forum Fellow, The Freedom Forum First Amendment Center, New York, N.Y., USA.
• Mr. Francis Matthew, Editor, Gulf News, UAE

10:30-11:00 AM

Coffee break (LRC 21)

11:00 AM-12:30 PM

Session V: "Essential Elements of Codes of Good Journalistic Practice"

• Ms. Octavia Nasr, Senior International Editor, CNN International, Atlanta, USA (Chair)
• Mr. Ibrahim Awad, Bureau Manager, Saudi Research & Marketing, Saudi Arabia/UK
• Prof. Fred Vultee & Prof. Roger Gafke, School of Journalism, University of Missouri-Columbia, USA
• Dr. Thomas A. Bauer, Head, Department of Audiovisual Media & Media Culture, Institute of Communication and Media Studies, University of Vienna, Austria
• Mr. John Renner, Commissioning Editor, News Programs, BBC, London, UK

12:30-2:00 PM

Lunch break (LAU Cafeteria)

2:00-3:30 p.m.

Session VI: "Press Councils and Other Self-Regulatory Media Institutions"

• Ms. Barbara Trionfi, Press Freedom Adviser, International Press Institute (IPI), Vienna, Austria (Chair)
• Mr. Lutz Tillmanns, Director, German Press Council, Germany
• Mr. Mohammad Baalbaki, President, Press Federation, Lebanon
• Mr. Melhem Karam, President, Journalists Union, Lebanon
• Mr. Brian Whitaker, Middle East Editor, The Guardian, UK

3:30-3:45 PM

Coffee Break (LRC 21)

3:45-5:30 PM

Session VII: "Freedom of Expression/Freedom of the Media in the Arab World"
Obstacles to press freedom; the role of professional organizations and NGOs.

• Mr. Marcello Scarone, Program Specialist, Freedom of Expression, Democracy & Peace, UNESCO, Paris, France (Chair)
• Mr. Joel Campagna, Committee to Protect Journalists, New York, USA.
• Mr. Toby Mendel, Head of Law Program, Article 19, London, UK
• Mr. Kamel Labidi, Amnesty International, UK
• Dr. Mahmoud Tarabay, Assistant Professor of Communication, Lebanese American University, Beirut, Lebanon

8:00 PM

Dinner.

Day 3: May 11, 2001

9:30-11:30 AM

Drafting of Resolutions/Open Forum

• Chair: Ms. Magda Abu-Fadil, Director, Institute for Professional Journalists (IPJ), Lebanese American University, Beirut, Lebanon

The draft document on the media code of ethics (the main objective for the seminar) will be circulated at Wednesday's opening session, to be reviewed and brought to the open forum on Friday for discussion.