Ambassador Corbin Opens Training Program for Journalists

Abu Dhabi, September 9, 2012

Ambassador Corbin speaks to newly-hired journalists from WAM, the UAE’s official news agency.

Ambassador Michael H. Corbin  welcomed participants at the opening of a one-week training workshop for newly-hired journalists for WAM, the UAE's official news agency. The program is a collaborative project between the U.S. Embassy and the UAE's National Media Council. Ambassador Corbin thanked Ibrahim Al Abed, the National Media Council's Director General, for his leadership in ensuring that new journalists are given a proper foundation as they embark on their new careers. The U.S. Ambassador also stressed that a free and open media is critical to a strong economy.

The program is being led by journalist and professor Magda Abu Fadil, a training expert with years of experience organizing seminars and workshops in English, Arabic, and French for professional journalists across the Arab world. This week's workshop is the first of three that Ms. Abu Fadil will conduct in the UAE; it will be followed by a second workshop for new WAM journalists in Dubai and the northern Emirates as well as a more advanced workshop for reporters later in the year. Topics covered will include basic journalistic practices, the emerging role of social media, and media ethics.

Working in cooperation with public and private partners across the UAE, the U.S. Embassy in Abu Dhabi, along with the U.S. Consulate in Dubai, supports a range of programs reflecting the depth and breadth of the U.S.-UAE diplomatic relationship.