Matt Waite to Present at the Arab Media Forum in Dubai

Monday, March 23, 2015 - 7:00pm

Matt Waite, professor of practice in journalism at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Journalism and Mass Communications, has been invited to present at the Arab Media Forum sponsored by the Dubai Press Club.

“The Middle East is one of most interesting places to talk about journalism because in a relatively small area you have some of the most dynamic and challenging conditions of anywhere in the world,” Waite said. “You have global media brands emerging like Al Jazeera, a wide range of press freedoms from country to country and some of the most challenging environments to work in.”

The Arab Media Forum will be held May 12-13, 2015 and is the premier media event in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Launched by the Dubai Press Club in 2001, it has enabled dialogue, discussion and the exchange of ideas on the regional and international media industry. AMF brings together 2000 media professionals, among them the top 300 media personalities and thought leaders in the Middle East.

The theme of AMF 2015 is New Perspectives in Media. This will broadly touch on the latest innovations and trends: the swift technological advances that are shaping the industry, the rapid pace of change and catalytic events on the political front in the Middle East and how all these are forcing the mainstream media to question how it confronts and reports on these new realities.

Waite will discuss his work on drone journalism including the use of drones in our industry and the ethical concerns that arise as a result. Waite believes drones hold great promise for journalists to gather photos, videos and data for storytelling, but the devices also carry concerns, such as safety and legal issues as well as local customs and privacy issues.

Professor Waite is the founder of the college’s Drone Journalism Lab and conducts Maker’s Hours. From 2007-2011, he was a programmer and journalist for the St. Petersburg Times where he was part of a team that developed the Pulitzer Prize-winning PolitiFact. He is a frequent speaker at conferences and forums around the world on the use of drones, data-driven journalism and the future of media. This is the second time in six months that Waite will be in the Middle East. In December, he participated in a media innovation hackathon sponsored by Al Jazeera in Doha, Qatar.

Matt Waite
Matt Waite