Over 146 Lebanese and foreign media representatives gathered at a seminar on Wednesday in Beirut to exchange ideas on developing a code of ethics for the Lebanese media, reported the Daily Star newspaper.
The three-day seminar, “Freedom of Expression and the Media in Lebanon” was organized by the Vienna-based International Press Institute (IPI).
“The reason we’re here is to discuss various media-related topics, to benefit from each other, and to go forth and use that knowledge wisely in the performance of our jobs,” seminar chair Magda Abu-Fadil told the opening ceremony.
Abu-Fadil, who is also director of IPI and of the LAU’s University Publications, said the seminar would tackle issues such as media laws, new media, pressures on journalists, the quality of reporting, self-regulation, and journalistic ethics, said the paper.
She said the seminar was “important” for Lebanon and the region as it grouped professionals with different backgrounds and experiences.
One of the seminar’s basic goals, according to Abu-Fadil, is to use guidelines taken from codes of ethics and manuals from news organizations worldwide, which she hoped would be adopted as a Lebanese code of ethics.
She added that the 45 foreign participants, mainly from United Kingdom, the United States, Sweden, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, France and Italy, would acquire “a clear image of the press in Lebanon.” – Albawaba.com
