DUBAI 20 June 2019: Dubai Press Club (DPC), in partnership with Facebook, organised the region’s first Facebook News Forum in Dubai on Wednesday. More than 200 journalists, content creators, publishers and other professionals in the media field took part in the full-day event to discuss the future of the news industry and the need to ensure a continuous flow of accurate and reliable information on social media platforms, including the methods being used to fight and reduce the spread of fake news.
The full-day event, which took place at Alserkal Avenue, was part of a series of initiatives held by Facebook under the Facebook Journalism project, which has been designed to support journalism and news literacy around the world.
Regional and global speakers participating in the Forum led engaging training sessions aimed at promoting quality journalism on the Facebook platform. The forum kicked off with a session with Jesper Doub, Director of News Partnerships EMEA, Facebook, during which he stressed that people should have access to great journalism on the platform and that Facebook continues to work on building a bridge with the media through partnerships. During the session, which was moderated by Mustafa Al Rawi, Assistant Editor-in-Chief at The National, Doub said the news industry is going through massive transformations which include changes in business approaches, and that Facebook is working to help news partners find their way on the platform.
Doub also spoke about Facebook’s commitment to fighting fake news through working with a network of up to 54 fact-checking partners who review and rate the accuracy of content on Facebook. He added that Facebook also removes around one million fake accounts every day on the platform using Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) in order to keep spam, fraud and hate speech off the platform.
In another session, titled ‘News Feed and Integrity’, Nick Wrenn, News Partnerships Lead, UK and Ireland, Facebook, discussed how Facebook ensures users are able to recognise misleading news through flagging and pushing down inaccurate content with the help of independent fact-checkers. He further noted that integrity of content became a major focus for Facebook in the last few years. The session also focused on guiding principles of News Feed, such as the importance of meaningful social interactions, primarily with friends and family.
Other sessions held at the news forum included: ‘Community Standards’, which discussed Facebook rules around content integrity, ‘The Importance of Fact-Checking’, ‘How to Build Your Community on Facebook’, ‘Instagram for Newsrooms, and ‘Crowdtangle Analytics’. The forum also hosted Award-winning investigative journalist Amjad Tadros in a 30-minute fireside chat.
Speaking during the opening of the Facebook News Forum, Maitha Buhumaid, Director of Dubai Press Club, said that the media industry is in the midst of a major transformation brought on by digital technologies. She noted that Facebook is a key player in shaping the future of media whether it is technology, content, advertising or news.
Buhumaid highlighted that companies like Facebook are natural partners for Dubai and the UAE because the country has always embraced change. “Being at the frontlines of the future has always been part of the vision of Dubai’s leadership. As part of this vision, we also seek to be a magnet for talent from across the world. Today, Dubai offers one of the best environments and opportunities for media professionals to contribute their skills and capabilities to the industry.”
Hosting the Facebook News Forum is part of Dubai Press Club’s constant efforts to partner with global media leaders to help emerging local media talent stay abreast of the latest media knowledge.
Commenting on the partnership, she said: “We believe partnerships with leading global players like Facebook are key to developing the capacities of our youth. Equally, we are keen to make sure our homegrown workforce is ready to take advantage of the opportunities that the future will bring. It is as part of this effort that Dubai Press Club is hosting this event today in partnership with Facebook.”
Meanwhile, Fares Akkad, Director of Media Partnerships, Middle East, Africa and Turkey, Facebook, said that the forum’s main goal was to help participants learn new ways to engage with their audiences and embrace digital storytelling. “The forum was able to bring together relevant experts to discuss many important and timely topics that concern the news industry. Our goal was to help train more than 200 journalists, students and media professionals on visual storytelling, audience engagement and staying safe online,” he said, adding that the forum was able to highlight the best practices on a number of Facebook’s products and train journalists on the various tools that can be used to reach an audience.
“We are delighted to cooperate with the Dubai Press Club on this initiative, which falls under the Facebook Journalism Project. The event underscores our continued commitment to the Middle East. It’s a diverse, vibrant and exciting region, full of opportunity for journalists and digital storytellers. Together with the Dubai Press Club, we hope to bring even more joint initiatives like this to the region,” he said.