Internet Media panel: results and reviews.

Thought I would follow up with more results of yesterday’s session.

Here are Ray Hanania’s views on his NAAJA site. It was a very constructive discussion where I came to explain Mideast Youth but I also learned a lot about Israeli journalists, Palestinian journalists and the people behind the papers.

I also got to meet Ray for the first time – also my first time meeting another Mideast Youth correspondent: 

Here’s an excerpt of what I spoke about:

“We are from the Middle East. There are countries I will never be able to visit. And there are people who will never be able to come to Israel. So MidEastYouth.com has brought people together who might not have other opportunities to come together and share their experiences, thoughts and experiences…”

“It’s a great example of how the Internet can bring people together and promote understanding and tolerance, where we can debate, discuss and not cut each other’s throats…”

“There is a lot of emotion. We are all touched by events around us. We are able to talk together. It’s something to have an Arab ask me about Israeli and Jewish culture. There are things you can get upset about … but we are happy that people are having the conversation… You have to have a sense of humor in order to participate on a site like this and not go crazy from the emotion and the emotional exchanges.” (NAAJA)

Hey, I sound pretty good… And that really does sum up what I think about Mideast Youth and Internet media in general. I’m glad I got a chance to talk about it in a public forum with a diverse audience… Thanks, Ray! 

A win for contact, for panels, for communication.

The panel discussion today on Internet media went really well (I think). It really gave a bunch of random people with similar interests a chance to chat about the importance of Internet, blogging and journalism with regards to all of our respective cultures and societies.

It was amazing – as it usually is – to meet people in person who I’ve had online relationships with, or a general online awareness of. People are constantly bagging each other online without meeting each other, and often what is considered hate speech is not really meant to be. How can you judge a person whose eyes you’ve never looked into?

I included my agenda below; that is how I broke down Mideast Youth for the panel.

Internet media: Strategies and Challenges Facing Internet News, Web and Blog Sites.

What is Mideast Youth?

• Media Center:
  • Alternative news voice:
    • Realistic: news, culture and youth perspective represented. Youth + technology + the need for self-expression = amazing potential.
  • Multi media: There are more than one way to express yourself on the Internet. Mideast Youth includes -
    • Blogging
    • Podcasts
    • Video
    • Photo
    • Forums

• Activism:
  • Petitions
  • Affiliate sites
  • The site itself serves as an example for tolerant conversation and the possibility for open-minded communication.

• Conversation:
  • Often, the comments are more interesting than the posts themselves…
  • Challenge: Emotions are real and these are everyday topics for us.
  • Challenge: There’s a tendency for people to assume they need to be political all the time; this can be destructive in large doses.

• Contact:
  • Contact theory/dialogue takes charge here. Arabs, Israelis, Iranians, Southeast Asians and more come together, for better or worse, to a public contribute to a conversation and make contact with various “Others”.
  • Exposure to people from all over:
    • Personally, I’ve read blogs I never would have come across. I chat with other members on i.m. and share and communicate one-on-one.
  • Challenge: Internet media is inherently not face-to-face, so there is still a level of distance.

A conversation about… conversations.

Ray Hanania is a syndicated columnist, comedian and Palestinian American who tours in my neighborhood. He’s currently in Israel for a comedy tour and on Monday, I’m participating on a panel he organized to discuss Internet Media: Strategies and Challenges facing Internet News Web and Blog sites. 

I’ll be representing Mideast Youth and discussing the importance of communication between members of Mideast youth via the internet: Communication, contact, conversations. Worthy cause, right?

Here are the details if you happen to be nearby and want to join the conversation:

NAAJA EVENTS
SPJ-Arab Journalists

Monday, Dec. 3, 2007
Ambassador Hotel, Sheikh Jarrah, East Jerusalem
1st Floor Conference Room

Sponsored by NAAJA, SPJ-Arab Journalists

PANEL 1: Internet Media: Strategies and Challenges facing Internet News Web and Blog sites
Monday, Dec. 3, 2007, 12-2:30

- Moderator, Charley Warady, co-host, Israelisms, an online weekly audio blog of life in Israel (Confirmed)
- Alan Abbey, Former editor, YnetNews.com, one of the most popular English language news sites from Israel (Confirmed)
- Khaled Abou-Aker, Editor, AMIN.org, a center for Palestinian, Israeli and Middle East opinion (Confirmed)
- [Me], MidEastYouth.com one of the highest ranked Middle East news blogs on the Internet (Confirmed)
- Fadi Abu Sada, Director Palestine News Network, an online news agency (Confirmed – or a representative if he is not allowed to cross from Bethlehem)
- Sherif Hedayat, standup comedian, online video producer

PANEL 2: Traditional Media: Strategies and Challenges facing coverage of the Palestine-Israel Conflict
Monday, Dec. 3, 2007, 2:45-5:30

- Moderator: Ray Hanania, syndicated columnist, SPJ-Arab Journalists coordinator, and Arab Writers Group Syndicate manager. (Confirmed)
- Steve Linde, managing editor, The Jerusalem Post, editor at Israel Radio. Linde has worked at the Jerusalem Post for the past 10 years and 18 years at Israel Radio. (Confirmed)
- Lisa Zilberpriver, reporter Haaretz Newspaper. (Confirmed)
- Dion Nissenbaum, McClatchy Newspapers Jerusalem Bureau (Confirmed)
- Joel Greenberg, Middle East correspondent for the Chicago Tribune (Confirmed)
- Zaki Abu Al-Halaweh, correspondent for al-Quds Newspaper (Confirmed)
- Issa Sharbati, correspondent for al-Hayat al-Jadida newspaper (Confirmed)

The event is open to the public. We encourage you to have lunch at the Ambassador Hotel prior to the conference.