FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 12, 2008

International Center for Journalists (ICFJ): (In the U.S.) Dawn Arteaga, Communications Director, T/ +1.202.349.7624; E-mail darteaga@icfj.org (In Jordan) Frances Abouzeid, Arab House Project Director, Tel: +962 777 669 084; E-mail: frances.abouzeid@gmail.com

Jordan Televisión: Majida Nimri, Public Relations Manager, Tel: +962 777 613 068; email: majida_n@yahoo.com
Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation: Sana Iskander, Media Relation Manager, LBC International, Tel: +961 9 850850; E-mail: sana_iskander@lbcgroup.tv

Jordan Television & Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation Launch Groundbreaking Co-Production On Regional Social Issues

Joint four-part series analyzes common problems & highlights local solutions

Jordan Television (JTV) and Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation (LBC) have announced the launch of “Arab House/Beyt Al-Arabi,” a four-part series on social issues to be broadcast weekly starting February 15 on JTV’s and LBC’s terrestrial and satellite channels.

The program is a result of a television training and production project organized by the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ), a non-profit, professional organization promoting quality journalism worldwide. Teams of reporters, producers and cameramen from JTV and LBC participated in six-week, on-the-job training and production cycles. They produced mini-documentaries that analyze problems shared by both countries and highlight solutions to cope with these issues.

The Arab House program will be broadcast as follows:

Jordan Television: 18:30 (Amman time) on February 15, 22, 29 & March 7 with encore presentation each following Saturday at 11:00
LBC International: 19:00 (Beirut time) on February 15, 22, 29 and March 7 with encore presentation on each following Sunday at 15:30
LBC America: February 17 at 23:30 (GMT), 18:30 (EST) with encore presentation on February 22 at 07:30 (GMT), 02:30 (EST), 23:30 (PST)
LBC Australia: 14:30 (Sydney time) February 17, 24 & March 2, 9 with encore presentation at 23:30 (Sydney time) on February 19, 26 & March 4, 11

Journalists participating in an ICFJ training program at Jordan Television suggested the idea of the Arab House program in February 2005.

“The journalists thought that a program such as this would bring a completely fresh approach to viewers” who are accustomed to seeing reports on political, rather than social, issues, said Carolyn Robinson, ICFJ’s executive producer for Arab House. “… By addressing the roots of popular concern, journalists highlight the problems that feed and influence political decisions and inspire a community discussion that can lead to real lifestyle changes for the better.”

Each of the four 30-minute episodes will be broadcast weekly for one month covering a total of eight issues from each country. The program was shot on location in Jordan and Lebanon and is co-anchored by reporters Violette Khairallah of LBC and Emad Nusair of JTV. ICFJ’s Knight International Journalism Fellows from Egypt, Lebanon, and the United States worked with the LBC and JTV teams to produce their groundbreaking reports.

Journalists from each station participated in production workshops where they developed and researched story ideas. The journalists also worked to strengthen skills, including in-depth newsgathering techniques and long-format program production. After the workshops, ICFJ’s Knight International trainers worked with the JTV and LBC journalists to produce five-minute segments on the specific social issues.

“LBC has established itself as a regional leader in innovative programming, and our participation in the Arab House program confirms this,” said Marwan Matni, director of news and current affairs for LBC Sat. “… Today Jordan, Lebanon and the region are facing challenges from every angle, and the topics that Arab House investigates help all of us to better understand not only how we are coping in Lebanon but let us see how our neighbors in Jordan are dealing with the same issues.”

“By joining forces with LBC and ICFJ, and empowering this team of young journalists to give their perspectives on these challenges, JTV is able to give our audiences at home and abroad a closer look at the issues facing Jordan’s society today,” said Hala Zureikat, director of Jordan Television. “…We hope to continue this cooperation beyond this pilot phase and even expand it to include other countries in the MENA region.”

A one-hour special from the Arab House program will be developed and submitted to international documentary film festivals as an example of innovative programming from the Middle East.

The International Center for Journalists (ICFJ), a non-profit, professional organization, promotes quality journalism worldwide in the belief that independent, vigorous media are crucial in improving the human condition. Since 1984, ICFJ has worked directly with more than 40,000 journalists from 176 countries. Aiming to raise the standards of journalism, ICFJ offers hands-on training workshops, seminars, fellowships and international exchanges to reporters and media managers around the globe. For more information, visit www.icfj.org.