AI, media independence, ethics charter, photo exhibition, content creators… The program was packed this Tuesday for the Agora for Journalism in Marseille at the Palais du Pharo.
The Marseille Charter on Information and Migration was officially signed at the Agora of Journalism. The result of several months’ work, this new ethical charter aims to guide journalists and the media towards accurate, comprehensive and respectful coverage of migration issues. You can still sign it here.
In the morning, we discussed the use of artificial intelligence in newsrooms. “Artificial intelligence systems represent a closed, obscure circuit, which doesn’t allow the press to know what’s going on”, lamented Abdellatif Haj Mohammed, an independent investigative journalist, during a round table discussion on the subject.
How can independent media be financed in a broken world? Wael Akiki, Program Manager at the Samir Kassir Foundation, and Rana El Khoury, Director of the Agency for Equality, discussed the issue. According to her, there is an opportunity for these media “to advertise and market without compromising freedom of expression”.
S.O.S Save Our Souls
The “S.O.S Save Our Souls” collective photo exhibition was inaugurated near the town hall, in partnership with SOS Méditerannée and Marseille city. Aboard rescue ships, the works of the photo-reporters shed light on ten years of humanitarian crisis in the Mediterranean. The exhibition runs until May 22 in Marseille’s Place Villeneuve-Bargemon.
They have millions of views: content creators Layla Abdo (AJ+) and Ahmed El Ghandour (ElDa7ee7) were given a speech to present their work and editorial reflections. “The Arab press must not only be written, but also audiovisual. It must produce documentaries”, Ahmed El Ghandour told the amphitheater. “We need collaboration between journalists and specialists to produce attractive content.”
The day ended with a debate on the need to decolonize news, featuring Jean Kassir, Managing Director of Megaphone, Dima Khatib, Managing Director of AJ+ Channel, journalist Oussmane N’Diaye, news producer Nidal Rafa and, moderating, Sarra Grira, Editor-in-Chief of Orient XXI. “Today, information is essentially produced by the countries of the North, in a relationship of domination”, said journalist Oussmane N’Diaye.
