Organized by the Programme in Comparative Media Law and Policy (PCMLP), Qatar University’s College of Law, the Aljazeera Media Training and Development Centre and  the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania        

This dialogue brings together a group of top scholars, lawyers and regulators from the region and international community for an intriguing discussion about the politics and challenges of media reform in the context of complex transitions.  What types of media systems are new governments trying to create? What comparative lessons can be drawn and how should national policymakers think about and negotiate international and regional norms? International broadcasters such as Aljazeera had an instrumental role in providing critical information during revolutions in the region. How are these international broadcasters reflecting, amplifying or even encouraging demands for a particular direction of media reform?
 
Welcoming and Opening Remarks

Keynote Address:
Professor Andras Sajo
“Comparative Perspectives on the Protection of Journalist Sources”

Panel One: Challenges and Opportunities in Media Policymaking and the Arab Spring
This session explores how national and regional norms related to media freedom and access to information emerged in the Middle East and how they relate to international standards. It brings together data and experiences from various Arab countries to discuss how these norms are established and how they are enforced.

Professor Hussein Amin
“The Future of the Egyptian Broadcast Industry and the Need for a Regulator”

William Youmans
“Patterns in Violations of Expression and Journalism: Before and After the 2011 Arab Uprisings”

Chair: Osama Abu-Dehays, Chief Legal Officer, AlJazeera Network

Panel Two: Comparative Perspectives on Media Regulation and Standards
Examines how governments seek to regulate producers and diffusers of information in the age of new media with a particular focus in the context of the Arab Spring.

Professor Khawar Qureshi QC
“The Challenges for Free Media in the Era of 24 hour real-time Transmission in the aftermath of the Arab Spring”

Justice Barbara Dohmann
“What are the Media for? Challenges for Regulation”

Chair: Christopher Campbell-Holt, Acting Registrar, Qatar International Court and Dispute Resolution Centre