The DCMF interviewed a group of our junior reporters covering the UN Alliance of Civilisations Forum as part of our Media Literacy Programme. Here they speak about why journalism is their passion, how they access news and what they hope to achieve in life after studies.
Dina Sarayra is an 18 year old Qatar University undergraduate studying Architecture. She’s originally from Jordan.
"Journalism is my one and only love. It’s my passion. As soon as I heard about the DCMF junior reporters programme, it was instinctive to go for it. I’m here to be a journalist. Even after I graduate, I will go into this industry. I think journalism is essential. It allows my thoughts to process. Journalism is creative and spontaneous. I’ve never really reported anything, but I’m a good writer. I enjoy writing poetry, too.
I haven’t decided which type of journalist I would be. I want to discover what suits me in journalism and I am going to find it. I don’t like to restrict myself.
I would say television is where you can get the most viewers. Not many people go for newspapers, A lot of people go for visual media."
Mohammed El Kahlout is an 18 year old senior year high school student. He’s originally Palestinian.
"I’m applying to Northwestern University in Qatar to study journalism. I’m very keen to be a journalist. I’m inspired by Faisal al Qassem, who’s an AlJazeera reporter, because of his personality. I like the way he interacts and conducts interviews. I like the idea of his show, where he gets people with opposite ideas to discuss a certain topic. With some practice, I think it would be easy to use his style. Giving two sides of the story is so important. Once that’s available, people can understand their point of view. They can analyse the information they get and understand why they believe a certain way. They can choose.
I get my news from the internet, it plays a vital role in my life. The television is always on Al Jazeera. Newspapers? Not so much. I think it’s because it’s an old style. The internet and new technology has taken over."
Ali Al Zawqari is an 18 year old Qatari national who will soon be studying Engineering at Qatar University.
"My enthusiasm about the media and passion for it stems from the events taking place around the world. During the revolutions, I’ve been watching all types of media. The Arab Spring has increased interest in the media.
I want journalism to be something that I do alongside my engineering. I noticed that not all journalists at this time have a degree in journalism. Some have other careers. I will start, maybe, by blogging and using social networks like Facebook and Twitter, then I will move on to the next step. We need Qataris as journalists because over the years the number working in the media has declined. The country’s image reflected in news is not by our own people, it’s like an outside view. Nationality is not important. Journalists may be non-Qatari, as long as the reflection is true to what’s really happening in the country."
