Translation and Subtitles: Abir Kopty – Freie Universität Berlin
Palestine is considered a place where many events take place, and that requires qualified journalists in the field. The number of journalists registered in the Journalists’ Syndicate reached 900 journalists.
Palestinian colleges and universities pay great attention to media programs. In Palestine there are 18 colleges and universities that offer bachelor degree in Media and Journalism and there is an increasing demand from students.
Bassam Ewaida – Head of Media Department in Birzeit University
There are many modalities in the admission of students to Media colleges in Palestine. There are around 18 media departments in Palestine with almost 1000 graduates per year. 60% of the graduates are females but only 7% of them work in the field of journalism compared to 18% of the graduate males. There are different types of admission to the university. There is the direct admission, or interview for admission, or a test. The students’ first year in Birzeit University is a trial period. They can decide whether to stay or not or whether this topic suits them or not.
Ali Abu Samra – Journalist and Media Professor
Concerning practicing the profession of Journalism, it is a talent before any study. It is a willingness to practice this profession but the study provides theoretical framework and methodology in media. Practice is more important than theoretical study.
Bassam Ewaida – Head of Media Department in Birzeit University
According to a poll made by the American organization, Inter News, 54% of the people working in media in Palestine do not hold an academic media degree. Media is a hobby, and a personal desire. This is what I focus on in my lectures and this is what I tell my students. If you like media, study it, it is like you study painting. If you had low grades in high school (like 60%) or had the highest academic certificate, you are not going to employed if you were not able to write a news article, or not able to make a video reportage, or documentary film, or radio news. Therefore, media is an inner desire not more.
Khaldoun al-Barghouthi – Editor at al-Hayat al-Jadida
For the new journalists, first, a journalist should first be equipped with enough general knowledge, second, knowledge about the Palestinian cause, and third, should know who is his/her audience, whether they are Arabs or Westerners, and to communicate with them in the way that corresponds with them and their own culture.
Bassam Ewaida – Head of Media Department in Birzeit University
The media students who do not speak English lose about 80% of their chance to find a job. That’s the first point.
Second point, the more he reads, in another words, if the media student did not follow the daily news or read books, he cannot be a media student.
In addition, Networking. The student should have a big network, because if he/she doesn’t know any of the politicians or economists, then how would they be able to interview them or write about their news. How would it be possible to do investigative journalism? How would it be possible to do a documentary film?
Therefore, English language is very important, Arabic language is important or the country that he lives in, networking, computer literacy, also travel, travel is important. As the great Moroccan thinker Mahdi al-Menjara once said: “In my life, I spent equivalent of seven years in traveling”. Therefore, travel sometimes give great experience. It is as important as education and practical experience, travel is very important in the life of a journalist.
How do you become a journalist?
Editor:
Since childhood I was in love with press and media, I liked to see anchors on TV. When I was young, I viewed having the name of a reporter on an article as a great achievement.
After high school, I wanted to study journalism and admitted to Media and Journalism at Birzeit University. During my study, I was making internship in more than one place. In my last year of study, I started to work with Zaman News Agency. After graduation, one year ago, I started working at al-Hayat al-Jadida newspaper.
Photojournalist
I graduated from the Television and Radio program at Birzeit University. I couldn’t find work in my field, but I found a vacancy as photojournalist. I had some experience in photography and started to join my colleagues in the field in Ramallah and other Palestinian cities. After gaining some experience, I learned how and when to capture the right photo, and this is how I became who I am now.
Editor: During my study, especially in my first year, I studied Introduction to Communication and Information Science, I liked it so much. I liked the theoretical perspective on communication, so I decided to continue in the media field. At start, I knew how to write because I developed my writing skills and focused specifically on journalistic style. I also pursued my post-graduate study and worked as a teacher.
The importance of the Palestinian Journalist Syndicate
Tahseen al-Astal – deputy chairman of Palestinian Journalist Syndicate
The Journalists’ Syndicate went through different stages and it was among the first trade union’s experience in Palestine and the Arab world. The first attempts to form it took place in 1924 in Palestine, afterwards, in the 80s, and due to the Israeli pressure and oppression the Syndicate was established under the name “Arab Journalist Union” in Jerusalem.
After the return of the Palestinian National Authority, the late president Yasser Arafat, ordered the establishment of the “Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate”. The first election in the syndicate took place in 2010, which founded a new board that started a new phase and structure for the syndicate. The syndicate consists of a board of directors, secretariat, and the chief. The syndicate’s work is all voluntary. According to its internal regulations, any journalist, who meets the conditions, can join the syndicate. Those conditions include being a media alumnus, working as a journalist, receiving a salary from his or her work, and also having a certain duration of experience.
We educate the journalists on their rights and duties. However, we face many difficulties as we have a big number of graduates from the Palestinian universities, which leads us to share responsibilities with all media institutions and civil society organizations to develop the Palestinian Media and to provide the appropriate conditions for the journalists to work in dignity and be far from all types of extortions, whether it was economic, or in terms of security, or work conditions, or partisan pressure.