DPC and Facebook to Hold Region’s First Facebook News Forum

Dubai Press Club (DPC), together with Facebook, will organise the region’s first Facebook News Forum on Wednesday, June 19 in Dubai.

Set to take place at Al Serkal Avenue, the unique news event falls under the Facebook Journalism Project (FJP), a global initiative that collaborates with publishers around the world through trainings, programs, and partnerships, The forum, which is aimed at developing journalism in the region, will be attended by over 200 regional and international journalists, content creators, publishers and other professionals in the media field.

The full-day event will provide training for the attendees and highlight best practices on a number of Facebook’s products. The goal is to help participants learn new ways to engage with their audiences and embrace digital storytelling. Regional and global speakers at the event will cover topics such as How to Build Your Community on Facebook, Partner Value and Monetization, Video and Social Viewing, Instagram and IGTV for News, Crowd Tangle Analytics, Community Standards, Safety and more. The forum will also host Award-winning investigative journalist Amjad Tadros in a 30-minute fireside chat.

Commenting on the collaboration with Facebook, Maitha Buhumaid, Director of Dubai Press Club, said that partnering with Facebook to hold the Facebook News Forum, the first event of its kind in the region, comes within the strategy and objectives of the Dubai Press Club, which is to develop the skills and capabilities of journalists and media community and ensure they are qualified to carry out new journalistic responsibilities efficiently and professionally.

"This cooperation reflects Dubai Press Club's keenness to play a positive role in supporting the media sector both in the UAE and the Arab region through its network of partnerships across the world and through organising programmes and training courses,” said Buhumaid, adding that such initiatives contribute to developing the talents of media professionals in the Arab world, allowing them to keep abreast of rapid changes in the industry.

Buhumaid expressed her appreciation to Facebook and praised its commitment in enhancing the quality of content on social media and fighting the spread of fake news. “The Facebook News Forum is a valuable platform that will help explore and examine the challenges brought about by these rapid changes being witnessed in the region and their impact on journalism.”

Fares Akkad, Director of Media Partnerships, Middle East and Africa said: “We’re delighted to be partnering with the Dubai Press Club on the FJP News Forum in Dubai. Our goal for this event is to help train more than 200 journalists, students and media professionals on visual storytelling, audience engagement and staying safe online. We’ll also host sessions on News Feed, Crowd Tangle and Instagram. The event underscores our continued commitment to the Middle East. It’s a diverse, vibrant and exciting region, full of opportunity for journalists and digital storytellers. Together with the Dubai Press Club, we hope to bring even more joint initiatives like this to the region.”

Facebook Journalism Project

The Facebook Journalism Project is designed to support journalism and news literacy around the world. Facebook works with publishers and newsrooms through training, programmes and partnerships to help strengthen communities by connecting people with meaningful journalism. The project aims to build community through news, train newsrooms globally and ensure quality through partnerships. As part of the initiative, Facebook visits newsrooms and offers online courses to train journalists on how to leverage digital tools to tell stories that matter. It also partners directly with news publishers and nonprofit organisations to combat misinformation, promote news literacy and fund new initiatives.