Dear Friends & Colleagues,

Please circulate to academics, researchers and journalists who may be
interested in this conference.
Many thanks and apologies for any cross-posting.
More info can be obtained from Khalil Agha, head of the organising team:
E-mail: [log in to unmask]
Tel: 07899 878485
www.cammro.com

Best wishes,

Dr Noureddine Miladi
School of Social Sciences
University of Northampton
Park Campus
Northampton
NN2 7AL

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CAMMRO's 5th International Conference
 ‘MEDIA COVERAGE OF THE WAR ON GAZA
Propaganda, public opinion and foreign policy’

Date:  Saturday 20th June 2009
Venue: School of Oriental & African Studies (SOAS)
University of London,
Lecture Theatre V211
Vernon Square Campus,
Penton Rise, Kings Cross
London  WC1X 9EW

Nearest Tube Stations: Angel (Northern Line) King’s Cross – (Northern,
Victoria, Metropolitan, Circle,
Hammersmith & City, Piccadilly lines)

Map: www.soas.ac.uk/visitors/location/maps/


Why this conference?

This conference gathers academics, journalists, researchers, policy makers
and civil society groups to discuss the coverage of the war on Gaza by
various international news media organisations and its implications on
public opinion and foreign policy.
Covering the Arab-Israeli conflict remains one of the hot issues on the
international news agenda. The issue has generated more attention as well
as complaints about media coverage than conflicts in other parts of the
world. The region has one of the highest concentrations of journalists in
the world, reflecting the intense worldwide interest in the conflict.
There are over 350 foreign news organizations based in Jerusalem alone,
employing some 800 reporters, cameramen and technicians
But how have they all been covering the on-going war on Palestinians?
This conference aims to unpack the media management of this war by the
different players. It looks at the stance Western media have taken in
covering the conflict as compared to the Arab media? Whether broadcasters
and the press learnt the lessons from the Iraq conflict? What alternative
have new media been providing in covering this war? What alternative news
come from the Palestinian resistance groups in Palestine and beyond about
what is happening on the ground? How much does the media coverage resonate
into public opinion formation and, hence help influence policymakers'
actions and decisions? What should be the role of a responsible journalism
vis-à-vis the conflict?

Conference themes:
-        History of the conflict: Palestine the land and the people before
and
after the British Mandate
-        Zionism, Jewish settlements, the Nakba (Palestinian catastrophe)
and the
emergence of the state of Israel (1948) … roots of the conflict
-        Mediating the conflict: Western media and public opinion
-        Arab media and the portrayal of the on-going occupation
-        Arab VS Western media: are we watching the same war?
-        Israeli media management and the international pubic opinion?
-        Palestinian and Arab diaspora and the mediation of the conflict?
-        Blogging, YouTube, social forums, what role have such platforms been
playing?
-        Resistance/Citizen journalism and the mediation of the Palestinian
narrative
-        Media coverage and policy making in the West: What implications?


Confirmed Speakers:

Dr Makram Khouri-Machool, University of Hertfordshire, UK
Dr Yusuf Devran, Yeditepe University, Istanbul, Turkey
Prof Mohamed Kirat, University of Sharjah, UAE
Mr Ragi Omar, Al-Jazeera International (tbc)
Dr Alaa El Shamy, Qatar University, Doha
Mr Sharif H. Nashashibi, Arab Media Watch, London
Mr Hosam Sokkari, Head of BBC Arabic Network
Prof. Hamza Çakır, Erciyes Üniversitesi Rektörlüðü, Kayseri, Turkey
Dr Noureddine Miladi, University of Northampton, UK
Mr Michel Massieh, QC, London
Mr Carl Arrendel, Islam Channel (tbc)
Mr Mahir Othman, Al-Quds, London
Mrs Ivonne Ridley, Press TV, London
Dr Syed Abdul Siraj, Allama Iqbal University, Islamabad
Ms Marisa Consolata Kemper, Ramattan News Agency, Cairo
Dr Naila Hamdy, American University in Cairo, Egypt
Ms Dalia Yusuf, IslamOnline.net
Ms María Teresa Nicolás, University of Navarra, Spain
Dr Arturo Marzano, Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, Pisa, Italy
Ms Giuliana Tiripelli, University of Glasgow

Conference booking:
To guarantee your place, please send your registration form with
your payment as soon as possible.
Postal orders and cheques are payable to: 'CAMMRO',
Address: PO Box: 561, London UB3 9EP, UK
Bookings will be confirmed after receiving your payment.

Contact:
More info can be obtained from Khalil Agha, head of the organising team:
E-mail: [log in to unmask]
Tel: 07899 878485
www.cammro.com