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22 Nov 2017
22 Nov. 2017 <br />
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Amman -- The Palestinian Youth Association for Leadership and Rights Activation (PYALARA) and the Deutsche Welle Akademie, in cooperation with the Jordan Media Institute (JMI), held a discussion forum titled "Media Literacy: National and Regional Needs." The aim of the forum is to exchange regional experiences in media literacy and support various segments of society, especially youth, to access, analyze, and assess information and take part in its production.<br />
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Hania Bitar from PYALARA said that the forum "aims at learning about regional experiences and exchanging expertise among Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Tunisia, and Egypt in the field of media and information literacy. It also seeks to build on successful experiences to have a national strategy that embraces information development."<br />
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On the possibility of preparing a generation that can use technology to build its capacities and tools to enhance knowledge, Mrs. Verena Wendisch from the Deutsche Welle Akademie said that "the children of today are the digital generation and need guidance more than any other time in the past." She added that "modern technology has become an indivisible part of the daily life of humans in the 21st century. Here lies the responsibility of parents to guide. Also, educational institutions should guide them on how to navigate in the world of technology and help them protect themselves and be able to benefit from technology to the maximum."<br />
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A film produced by JMI on "Media Literacy in Jordan: Needs and Opportunities" was shown at the opening session. It discussed the need for media literacy in Jordan and percentages of youth usage and following of media and their relationship with the Internet. The film also spoke about social relations versus virtual relations and the attempt to close the gap to raise a generation that can play a positive role in society.<br />
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The forum included an open discussion about regional experiences in media literacy, with the participation of Bayan Tal from Jordan, Samia Salah al Din from Palestine, Dr. Rita Zgheib from Lebanon, and Badis Balgith from Tunisia. The participants spoke about the experiences of their institutions in implementing and disseminating media literacy programs.<br />
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A number of teachers, journalists, and students from Jordan and Palestine took part in the forum. Juman Ezz al Din, a student, spoke about her experience in media literacy, highlighting the activities that she carried out and that combined enjoyment, work, and practical benefit. Through these activities, she managed to learn about various types of press writing. She can now tell the difference between correct news and rumors and confirm news sources.<br />
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On the sidelines of the forum, the attendees took part in group work on verifying news. The experience of the Jordanian Media Credibility Monitor (AKEED) was presented, as well as ways and mechanisms for selecting press topics, video stories, and smart phone journalism. Dr. Najla Omari gave a lecture on "Media and Information Literacy in the Arab World: Challenges and Outlook."