Journalism & Media

In a world where social media and technology are driving the decentralization of news and the political turmoil facing the Arab region, the need for qualified journalist who are eager to understand the bear facts and capable of reporting the truth with objectivity has never been greater.

Media, specifically the social media, continues to facilitate events in ways that are crucial by alleviating the obstacles to the dissemination of information and collective action, and by creating a shared meaning among citizens and networks of activists in the region. In 2011, the social media acted as an ‘accelerating agent’ that helped protesters hold online discussions and organize and stage popular uprisings which, in turn, led to changes in some Arab countries, as well as their rapid spread across Arab region and trans-nationalization to the wider world. With the rise of the internet era, the Arab region is in need for a new breed of digital journalist, those who can use the ways of the Web to research, report and investigate. 

Decades before the creation of independent Lebanon in 1943, Beirut boasted for the freedom of expression that was enjoyed by its several newspapers compared to those of other countries of the Arab world. Still today, this small country in the Middle East is an exception compared to its Arab neighbors in terms of pluralism of the press and wide base of readers. Despite a history of turmoil, Lebanon’s well-educated and critical population has led to one of the most diverse and sophisticated press and media landscapes in the Arab Levant region. With newspapers and media outlets in four different languages (Arabic, French, English and Armenian), Beirut has a lively media community with relatively high professional standards. 

From the socio-geopolitical perspective, the unrests in the neighboring countries are having a dramatic impact on Lebanon. The spillover is evident in the northern city of Tripoli and the domestic dynamics are creating havoc in the country and the region.  Social, audiovisual and printed media have direct impact on society, because people rely on media for the current news and facts about what is important to them and what they should be aware of. People have a tendency to trust media as an authority for news, information, education and entertainment, and on the other hand, media influences and shapes public opinion in different ways decided by its content. Such strong influence of media depends on the availability and pervasiveness of media. 

Considering the powerful influence of media, AZM University established its Faculty of Journalism and Media with the objective of preparing journalists and media experts who shall become integral to the community; people who will perform with integrity, accuracy and versatility, and who are efficiently able to mine and extract the information they need from the world’s communication and data streams.