Egypt varsity wins Doha debate on media law

By Zia Khan/Staff ReporterDefinitions of media freedom and the role of the media in the Arab Spring were debated at a symposium held at the Al Jazeera Media Training Centre Doha yesterday .Should there be an above board freedom to media in a modern democratic dispensation or there has to be some state regulations to ‘tame the beast’?This was the question communications experts at a seminar yesterday grappled with but the conclusion wasn’t an absolute intellectual decree.“Media freedom is many a thing for many people and need to be addressed in various perspectives and stand points,” was a unanimous opinion of panelists from Qatar University at a discussion about the role of media in Arab Spring.The exercise was part of the Middle Eastern round of the Monroe E Price International Media Law Moot Court Competition and the Middle East media law and policy seminar.The event was organised jointly by the Qatar University and Al-Jazeera Media Training and Development Centre in Doha.Teams comprising students of as many as nine universities from the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region participated in the competition.    College of Law Qatar University (Doha – Qatar), Ain Shams University (Cairo – Egypt), Baghdad University (Baghdad – Iraq), Jordan University (Amman – Jordan), Kuwait University (Shuweikh - Kuwait), Mansoura University (Mansoura – Egypt), Nawroz University (Dahouk – Iraq), United Arab University (Al-Ain – UAE), Yarmouk University (Irbid – Jordan) were the institutions attending the event.The format of the competitions allows the students to take part in individual as well as team events.The students have to argue in favor of or against a scenario before a jury that later pick the winners.Egypt’s Ain Shams University won the first prize. At the discussion, teachers at the Mass Communications department of the Qatar University shed light on the various aspects of media freedom and its implications on the states and societies in the backdrop of Arab spring.“Media freedom is a relevant term and should be defined in local perspective,” was the opinion of Dr Noureddin Miladi,  associate professor at the Qatar University.Professor Mohamed Kirat said the ingredients necessary for the freedom of expression and media do not exist in the Arab region.“For strong media, we need a collaborative society and well-defined institutions…we just don’t have them,” he added.Citing an example of the Egyptian Constitution, professor Larbi Sidiki, who teaches political science, said the term freedom of expression is defined so loosely that it is always there for any kind of interpretation.