KU to host media education moot on Dec 7, 8

A conference focusing on media education, particularly theory, industry practices and research in Pakistan, will be held at the University of Karachi on December 7 and 8.

The two-day moot will host lectures and discussions with over 65 leading journalists, advertising and film professionals, scholars and educationists from across the country, as well as from the United Kingdom and United States, according to a press statement issued by KU’s mass communication department. 

The conference is aimed at initiating a dialogue between media academia and industry practitioners, to enable all to work towards addressing the challenges faced by the media sector today.

The opening session will be addressed by Higher Education Commission Chairman Dr Mukhtar Ahmed and veteran journalist Dr Lawrence Pintak, founding dean of the Edward R Murrow College of Communication, Washington State University, along with KU VC Dr Mohammad Qaiser and Mass Communication Department head Prof Dr Seemi Naghmana Tahir. 

Featuring three parallel sessions at a time, the two-day marathon conference will comprise a total of 17 interactive programmes on topics including social media activism versus future of journalism, editorial freedom and media economy, cinema future and film education, advertising, research in mass media, broadcasting news and entertainment, human rights and media curriculum, public relations, role of research in content selection and production.

The journalists and media professionals expected to speak at the conference include Raza Ali Abidi, Javed Jabbar, Ghazi Salahuddin, Sajjad Mir, Athar Waqar Azeem, Mehmood Sham, Dr Jabbar Khattak, Dr Rauf Parekh, Tahir Najmi, Badar Alam, Kamal Siddiqui, Wusutullah Khan, Babar Ayaz, Mazhar Abbas, Owais Aslam Ali, Muddasir Mirza, Fakhar Abbas, Gulrez Mojiz, Ather Hashmi, Atiqa Odho, Khaled Anum, Farzana Ali, Ahmed Hasan, HRCP Secretary General IA Rehman, Dr Jaffar Ahmed, Uks director Tasneem Ahmer, SMIU VC Dr Mohammad Ali Sheikh, Szabist Dean of Social Sciences Dr Riaz Shaikh, filmmakers Jami and Maheen Zia, Sultana Siddiqui, Shariful Mujahid, Dr Tahir Masood, Dr Nisar Zuberi, Dr Rafia Taj, Inam Bari, Dr Irfan Aziz, Prof Shahida Kazi, Qaiser Mehmood, Wajahat Masood and Gibran Peshimam.