The Organising Committee of the 14th Arab Media Forum (AMF) has revealed details of the plenary sessions at this year's forum.

Held under the patronage of Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the two-day forum, the premier media event in the Arab world, will welcome leading Arab and international journalists, media professionals, academics and thought leaders.

The Arab Media Forum (AMF) will introduce a new format this year with the 20-minute-sessions, which will be held alongside plenary sessions.

This year's AMF will take a hard look at issues making headlines in Arab world as well as providing an in-depth regional outlook from the viewpoint of journalists, politicians and intellectuals from around the globe.

:: "Perspectives that are changing the world".

One of the forum's plenary sessions, titled ‘Perspectives that are changing the world', will provide a critical review of the situation in the Arab world today.

The fast-paced changes, regional conflicts and pressing issues such the rise of terrorism and violence in the region will be discussed by a panel of speakers that include the general manager of ‘Al Arabiya' Television News Network, Turki Al-Dakhil; the director of the Middle East Centre at the London School of Economics, . Fawaz Gerges; the chairwoman of Emirates Policy Centre, . Ebtisam Al Ketbi; and the head of Sky News Arabia, Nart Bouran.

The session will be moderated by Naoufer Ramoul, TV anchor at Dubai Media Incorporated.

:: Media on the front line.

The forum agenda features a session about ‘Operation Decisive Storm', entitled ‘Media on the front line'.

It elaborates on the role of media as a functional weapon in this war due to its ability to give public opinion and mobilise people.

The president of the think tank London Global Strategy Institute, . Mamoun Fandy. The session will be moderated by Najwa Qassim, TV presenter, Al Arabiya News Channel.

Panelists include the editor-in-chief of Asharq Al Awsat newspaper, Salman Al-Dossary; the president of the Gulf Security and Peace Forum, . Fahad Al-Shulaimi; the vice chancellor of United Arab Emirates University, . Ali Al Noaimi, and the president of the think tank London Global Strategy Institute, . Mamoun Fandy. The session will be moderated by Najwa Qassim, TV presenter, Al Arabiya News Channel.

:: Sports, hooliganism and the media.

Hooliganism on the part of overzealous fans and supporters is a reality across the sporting world.

Sports media in the Arab world can be accused of being one of the culprits behind the rise of hooliganism, especially with the region's social and political conflicts spilling over into sports coverage.

This is a session dedicated to discussing the role of sports media in aggravating hooliganism in the Arab world.

The session will be moderated by the head of MBC Sports, Mustafa Agha. It will attempt to answer how media outlets can balance passion and responsibility when covering sporting competitions. Among the speakers in this session are the member of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Executive Office, Mohammed Khalfan Al Romaithi; the former Algerian minister of information, Ezzuddin Mayhubi; and the Egyptian sports critic, Hassan El Mestikawi.

The Arab world from the perspective of international media With the global spotlight on the Arab world due to the political upheaval in the region, now more than ever, international media organizations are forming the basis of how the Middle East is perceived and understood by a global audience.

This session will look at the Arab world from the perspective of two leading media organisations in the West.

Op-Ed columnist for the International New York Times, Roger Cohen, and the director for global news at Agence France Press, Michele Leridon, will discuss how the international media views and covers recent events in the Arab world, as well as its outlook for near future.

The session is moderated by Faisal Abbas, the editor-in-chief of Al Arabiya.net's English website.

:: The chaos of ethics.

Today's media organisations are shaken by the fast pace of technological changes that are sweeping the industry and challenging credibility and authenticity.

This session will discuss how media organisations uphold professional ethics and credibility in a time when new media is becoming a primary source of information for the public.

The session will further explore the fairness of comparing ethics in the Arab world with those in the western world, considering the different cultural and political frameworks of each one, MBC TV Presenter and Host . Baia Al Beshr, Reuters Middle East Bureau Chief, Samia Nakhoul, the editor of Le Monde Diplomatique, Alain Gresh and Moataz Al Demerdash , TV Presenter and Host will be speaking in this session.

:: What message should art deliver today? What is the role of the artist today? Can artists deliver a more positive message about a troubled region?.

These questions and more will be tackled in an insightful session that will look at the power and influence of artists and their ability to bring out positive change in people's lives. Moderated by Lebanese TV Presenter Rabia Zayat, the session brings together leading artists such as singer Lotfi Bouchnak, actress, Saba Mubarak; Tunisian singer, Latifa Al Arfaoui, and Emirati singer, Balqees Ahmed Fathi.

Amongst the AMF's most prominent speakers this year are the secretary-general of the Arab League, . Nabil Elaraby; the secretary-general of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation. Iyad Madani; Kuwaiti Minister of Information and the Minister of State for Youth Affairs, Sheikh Salman Sabah Al Salem Al Humoud Al Sabah; the former secretary-general of the Arab League Amre Moussa; the UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs for Federal National Council Affairs, Anwar Gargash; and Secretary-General of the Palestinian National Initiative, Mustafa Barghouti. Additionally, this year's international speakers include the editor-in-chief of CNN digital, Meredith Artley; the deputy managing editor and standards editor at the Associated Press, Thomas Kent; YouTube and Instagram sensation, Zack King; the founder of one Journalism Lab, Professor Matt Waite and the chief scientist at Lithium Technologies, . Michael Wu.
Source: WAM