The Main Agenda Of The Community Media Conference In The Digital Age

2025-11-05 02:10:09

(MENAFN- Amman Net) To view the full agenda, click here

The Community Media in the Digital Age Conference, organized by the Community Media Network (CMN), will kick off on Saturday, November 15, 2025, in Amman, Jordan, celebrating 25 years since the establishment of AmmanNet, the first online and community radio station in the Arab world.
The event will bring together over 300 journalists, experts, and activists from Jordan and abroad, including around 50 international guests representing media institutions, civil society organizations, and academia.

Day One – Saturday, November 15, 2025

The opening day begins at 9:00 a.m. with registration and welcoming remarks, followed by the national anthem and an opening address by Ataf Al-Rawdan, Deputy General Manager of CMN and Director of Radio Al-Balad.
She will be followed by H.E. Pierre-Christophe Chatzisavas, Ambassador of the European Union to Jordan; Jesper Højberg, Executive Director of the International Media Support (IMS), Denmark; and Dr. Ramnath Bhat, President of AMARC Asia-Pacific.

Daoud Kuttab, CMN's General Manager, will then present a brief historical overview of AmmanNet's journey, followed by a speech by Dr. Mohammad Al-Momani, Minister of Government Communication and the Government Spokesperson.
The opening session will be moderated by Samia Kurdieh, the first journalist to join AmmanNet in 2000.

After a short coffee break and an exhibition tour, the first session will begin under the title:
“Community Media in the Digital Age: Where To? Challenges and Technological Solutions.”
Speakers include:

Walid Al-Batraoui, Executive Board Member, International Press Institute (IPI) – Austria
Khaled Mansour, Journalist and Member of the Content Committee, Meta – Egypt
Amjad Al-Qadi, Former Dean of the Faculty of Mass Communication, Yarmouk University
Steven Buckley, Founder of Sheffield Live Radio – United Kingdom

The session will be moderated by Hadeel Nammass, Correspondent at Alaraby TV, with Hayat Dabees as rapporteur.

The second session, sponsored by the French media development agency CFI, will focus on:
“The Role of Community Radios in Sustainable Development and Youth Empowerment.”
Speakers include:

Dr. Zaid Al-Nawaiseh, Secretary General, Ministry of Government Communication
Ahmed Sameh, Journalist and Human Rights Activist, Director of Radio Horytna – Egypt
Nuzha Bint Mohamed, Founder of the first community radio in Tunisia and North Africa
Basheer Aldhorai, Journalist and Media Development Expert – Yemen

The session will be moderated by Fadi Abu Sa'da, the first announcer at AmmanNet, with Haroun Al-Nuaimat as rapporteur.

In the afternoon, two parallel sessions will take place:

Behind the Scenes of Cross-Border Investigative Reporting from Gaza (2024–2025), sponsored by ARIJ – Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism, featuring Rawan Al-Damen and Farah Al-Jallad.

Jordan's Community Radios: How They Empower and Serve Local Communities, featuring Ataf Al-Rawdan and Hadi Al-Nsour, moderated by Dr. Rula Abu Rous.

Day Two – Sunday, November 16, 2025

The second day opens with the session:
“Protecting Media Independence: Legislative Reforms to Safeguard Community Media Freedom,”
featuring:

Mohammad Quteishat, Former Director-General of the Jordan Media Commission
Nasser Abu Bakr, President of the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate
Nabeel Ghishan, Chairman of the Board, Jordan News Agency (Petra)
Sirwan Haj Hussein, General Manager, Arta FM – Syria
Hadeel Abdulaziz, Executive Director, Justice Center for Legal Aid

The session will be moderated by Taghreed Al-Dughmi, Chairperson of the Community Media Network.

Next comes the fourth session, titled“The Future of Engagement: Innovation and Diversity in Digital Community Media Content,” featuring Khaled Al-Shuqran, Mirna Abou Zaid, Francesco Diasio (Italy), Raad Nshiewat, and Mohammad Al-Rajoub, moderated by Dr. Rawan Jiousi.

In the afternoon, two more parallel sessions will be held:

Digital Media Between Benefit and Social Protection, featuring Dr. Mohannad Al-Azza, Ahmad Awad, Mohammad Al-Arsan, and Nadine Al-Nimri.
How Digital Media Supports Development in Local and Marginalized Communities and Ensures Sustainability, featuring Thamer Al-Awaisheh, Ahmad Humaid, Abdullah Bani Issa, and Samar Haddadin.

The conference will conclude at 5:00 p.m. with a closing session and final recommendations, featuring Noha Bawazir, UNESCO Representative to Jordan, and Daoud Kuttab, CMN's General Manager, with Hadeel Al-Saabi as rapporteur.

About the Conference

Held under the theme“25 Years of Independent, Rights-Based Community Media,” the conference marks a quarter-century of CMN's pioneering role in promoting independent and civic journalism across the Arab world.

The event aims to explore the evolution of community media in the digital era, highlight international experiences in participatory journalism, and discuss legal, financial, and technological challenges facing this sector. It will also examine ways to enhance sustainability, innovation, and inclusivity in content creation while empowering marginalized groups and youth through media.

The conference is expected to produce actionable recommendations to strengthen the legislative environment for independent media and foster regional cooperation among community radios and digital platforms across the Middle East and North Africa.

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