Kamal Adham Center Launches COVID-19 Media Relief Project with Facebook Journalism Project
The Kamal Adham Center for Television and Digital Journalism at the School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, in partnership with Facebook Journalism Project, launched the Egypt COVID-19 Media Relief Project. The project offers a comprehensive one-year program to support Egyptian media organizations and individuals in addressing some of the pressing issues and challenges facing the industry during and after the coronavirus pandemic.
Aiming to advance the communication and journalism societies and ensure the provision of high quality, reliable, and well-informed content to the public, the project seeks to equip journalists with the main skills and tools of digital journalism to adapt to the unprecedented events resulting from the pandemic. The project will offer capacity building and mentorship to individual journalists and empower publishers and journalists through connectivity tools to perform their duties amid the remote work measures that many have not been prepared for during the pandemic.
"This project is an excellent partnership between Facebook and the Kamal Adham Center," said Hussein Amin, director of the Kamal Adham Center for Television and Digital Journalism and the project's principal investigator. "It comes at a proper time to support journalists and media professionals, as well as media institutions to better deal with issues relating to the pandemic. This partnership is unique and unprecedented between a leading journalism center in the Arab world, and Facebook Journalism Project, which for sure will contribute to advancing journalists' skills and improving the performance of media organizations to combat COVID-19 in the digital era."
The project includes three tracks: The Egyptian Journalists Empowerment and Connectivity Program, which will provide up to 350 selected Egyptian journalists with a one-year Internet package, in addition to a portable router; Mini Professional Diplomas in Health and Medical Journalism, with specific reference to the coronavirus pandemic; and The Egyptian Digital Transformation and Mentorship Program, which will provide ten selected local publishers with an intensive three-week digital transformation and mentorship consultancy program.
"Empowerment is at the core of this partnership," said Mohamed Omar, news partnerships manager for the Middle East and North Africa at Facebook. "Together with the Kamal Adham Center, we are delighted to be supporting a sustainable and long-term approach toward the adoption of digital journalism, which will remain central to the industry's future even post-COVID-19. The tools and skills provided will serve to allow journalists to continue a rich heritage of quality journalism and reporting, through both traditional and digital mediums."
Egyptian media professionals, journalists, publishers, and others working in the media and communication industries may check the eligibility criteria and application process for each of the three main project tracks through the project's website page: https://gapp.aucegypt.edu/egypt-covid-19-media-relief. For more information on the program, email: [email protected], Facebook page: /AdhamCenter
