ASJF – The Arab Science Journalism Forum Website

Science Journalism Forum '23

Arab Women in Science Journalism

In 2023, the fourth Arab Science Journalism Forum was hosted virtually and titled “Arab Women in Science Journalism”. The event was produced in partnership with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and the International Programme for the Development of Communication and comprised three panel discussions that covered Women in Science Journalism, Gender and Climate, and Women in STEM: Perspectives on How Science Should be Communicated. Moreover, the forum published a monograph that focused on the themes of women and science journalism in the Arab region, which was accompanied by a special issue of Arab Media & Society, which was titled, “Media & Women”. The panel discussions, which were simultaneously available in English and Arabic, included esteemed panelists selected from a cadre of international experts. Participants included Bothina Osama (MENA coordinator at Scidev.net), Rahma Diaa (Founder of Climate School Initiative), Dr. Mubaraka Saad Alghariani (academic researcher at Libyan Authority for Scientific Research), Raghida Haddad (Environmental Consultant and Senior Lecturer at The Lebanese University), Nadia El Awady (Editor at Medscape UK and Europe), Ashraf Amin (Head of the Science Desk at Al-Ahram Newspaper), Hadeer Elhadary (Lead Environmental Journalist at ESG Mena Arabic), as well as many others. The keynote speech was delivered by Dr. Nouha Belaid, who is a Media and Communications Senior Consultant and the Founder of Science Journalists in MENA. The event was highly successful and well attended, which further expanded a growing network of collaboration among scientists and science journalists throughout the MENA region.

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Science Journalism Forum '21

Advancing Science Communication in Challenging Times

In 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the third iteration of the forum was held online. The event focused on “Advancing Science Communication in Challenging Times”, and was accompanied by a special issue of our journal Arab Media & Society on “Media & Health” as the Kamal Adham Center’s latest project to further the development of this important field in the Arab region. It included panel discussions on a variety of themes, such as: the Future of Media & Public Health; Science Journalism Enabling Informed Decisions; Media & Health: a Global Approach; and Collaborative Approaches to Advocating Science. The panel discussions, hosted in Arabic and in English, consisted of a strong lineup of regional and international perspectives from journalists, scientists, governmental and institutional officials, as well as scholars directly involved in reporting, studying, and implementing communication strategies, such as: Jon Cohen, Science Writer, Science Magazine; Jonathan Weiner, Maxwell M. Geffen Professor of Medical and Scientific Journalism, Columbia University; Andre Picard, Health Reporter, The Globe and Mail; and Carolyn Unck, Manager, Research Communication, KAUST.

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Science Journalism Forum '20

Towards Fostering An Environment For Growth

The successful initiative soon became a two-day event in 2020 and included panelists from around the world. Titled “Science Journalism: Towards Fostering an Environment for Growth”, it included plenary lectures by key figures in the field of science communication and journalism, including Mariette Di Christina, Dean of Boston University College of Communication and former Editor-in-Chief of Scientific American; Ehsan Masood, Editorials Editor and Bureau Chief for Africa and the Middle East at Nature magazine; Carolyn Unck, Managing Editor of KAUST Discovery magazine, who also delivered an e-lecture; and award-winning journalist, virtual reality researcher, and MIT Knight Science Journalism Fellow, Pakinam Amer. The forum’s activities also included a strong lineup of speakers and research paper presenters participating in a variety of sessions including panel discussions, workshops and paper presentations.

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Science Journalism Forum '19

The Professional Approach.

This event was held in the conference room of the Kamal Adham Center for Television and Digital Journalism at the American University in Cairo. Panelists included Mahmoud Alam Eldin, Professor of Journalism and Mass Communication and Member of the Higher Press Council of Egypt; Dalia Abdel Salam, Editor-in-Chief of Lelelm (Scientific American Arabic Edition); Ahmed Youssef, electronic journalism expert and program presenter; and Mohamed Yehia, Executive Editor of Nature Middle East. The event was moderated by Adham Center Director, Hussein Amin. The speakers drew on their technical and scholarly experience to examine the status, professional challenges, and growth of science journalism in the Middle East and North Africa.