The Media Its Reality and Challenges Conference at BAU

The Faculty of Human Sciences at Beirut Arab University organized the first conference at the Mass Communication Department, entitled “The Media: Its Reality and Challenges”. The Conference was held on campus under the patronage of the Minister of Information, Melhem El Ryiashi, represented by his Advisor Mr. Andre Kassas.
The guests were welcomed by Mr. Omar Farouk El Nakhal who emphasized on the importance of this conference and stressed on the benefits of holding such conference at BAU. The Conference Secretary, Dr. Gamal Megahed, highlighted that “A free press tells the ruler what the people want, not the people what the ruler wants”. He also added that if the scientists define humans as the product of their environment, in turn we say that humans are the product of their media.
Prof. Mayssah El Nayal, Dean of the Faculty of Human Sciences stated that the world is witnessing tremendous changes at all levels. This necessitates an active growth of the media to be able to encompass all these changes in accordance with highly professional principles and ethics.
Prof. Amr El Adawi, President of BAU, emphasized that we live in the era of mass communication. One aspect of the age is the growing reliance of the masses on these means. 
Mr. Andre Kassas said that the Ministry of Information, which is rather a ministry of dialogue and communication, will not stop at any frustrations. In fact, all those working at the Ministry, with the Minister at their foremost, have sufficient will power to overcome any hurdles. The aim is to achieve a permanent peace for all to co-exist in a state where the law rules supreme.
This was followed by a round-table entitled “The Media: Its Reality and Future”. The Conference Speakers were Journalists Ms. Lore Sleiman, Director of the National Media Agency, Journalist Salah Salam, Editor-in-Chief of El Liwaa Newspaper, Journalist Asaad Maroun, Director of Radio of Voice of Lebanon, Journalist Jean Feghali, Editor-in-Chief at LBC Channel, and Journalist Joseph Samaan, Editor-in-Chief of Al Nashra online. 
However, the Conference was concluded by a series of recommendations listed as follows:
1. The need for a national council for media, formed of the civil, academic, professional and legal community, to develop general policies of the media in accordance with the nature of each community.
2. Revise all media legislations and laws in accordance with societal and technological developments.
3. The need for ethical charters and legislations that regulate the media and preserve the intellectual property rights.
4. Collaborate with the Ministry of Education to introduce “Media Education” at the various school levels, aiming at familiarizing the youth with how to deal with the media.
5. Preserve Arabic Language in the media as a main constituent of identity.
6. The need to develop the academic curricula at universities in alignment with contemporary givens.
7. The State is required to establish a means through which various media may be supported without any impact upon their freedom.
8. Universities are required to instill ethical and professional values in their students to ensure a better future for the media.


9. The need to provide an adequate working environment for all active participants in the media process, to enable them to perform adequately.
10. The need to take into account the role played by academic institutions in developing visions and strategies that are in harmony with Arab societies.
11. The need to pay greater attention to cultural, social, environmental, medical and religious programs and materials, and to avoid focusing solely on political and artistic programs.
12. To provide greater opportunity for creativity and innovation in the media, instead of merely reproducing the experiences of other societies.