WHAT
The American University in Cairo (AUC) is organizing a series of virtual public webinars titled “Reporting History” to explore historical events from the perspectives of journalists who covered them in the field. It is often said that journalism is the first draft in writing history. Whether it’s war, revolution, natural disasters, or high-profile crimes, journalists were there covering events on the ground as history was being made.
The first webinar is titled “Reporting the October ‘73 War." It will include first-hand stories from Abdou Mubasher, the former military affairs editor of Al Ahram, who was one of the first journalists to arrive at the frontline shortly after Egyptian forces crossed the Suez Canal into Sinai. Besides being a journalist, Mubasher was in the unique position of having experienced war as a fighter when he volunteered a few years earlier with the Commando unit led by celebrated military commander Ibrahim ElRifaie.
In this webinar, Mubasher will give his testimony as a journalist covering the October War: the remarkable moments he witnessed; changes he observed as the war progressed; the challenges he faced of reporting on the frontline; the measures he and his colleagues took to ensure their safety; and the ethical issues reporters have to consider while covering wars.
The event will be moderated by Khaled Ezzelarab, associate professor of practice at The Department of Journalism and Mass Communications (JRMC), AUC, and former senior news editor at SkyNews Arabia.
Commenting on the first webinar of the series, Ezzelarab says: “The October 1973 War was a defining moment in Egypt’s modern history, and almost half a century on, it is still a major part of what constitutes our national narrative. As such, it is most the ideal subject to launch the first webinar of the ‘Reporting History’ series, especially as it corresponds to the forty-eighth anniversary of the war.”
The event is open to the public and will be held in Arabic.
WHEN
Wednesday, October 13, 2021; 1:00 pm
WHERE
The event will be held via Zoom through this link.
