Media freedom centre website launched

Media freedom centre website launched

HE Minister of Culture, Arts and Heritage Dr Hamad bin Abdulaziz al-Kuwari, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Doha Centre for Media Freedom, launched yesterday the new website of the centre - www.dc4mf.org Speaking at the inauguration ceremony at Sharq Hotel, the minister stressed the importance of media freedom in the midst of the events taking place in the Arab world. He said the centre aimed to highlight Qatar’s interest in the democratic institutionalisation, noting that it is one of the State’s most important community-based organisations. For his part, Director of the Doha Centre for Media Freedom Jan Keulen said the centre’s mission was to serve journalists and act as a bridge between the mediapersons as well as to facilitate media debates and discussions. He stressed that the centre’s priority was to serve Qatar, the Gulf and the Middle East. The centre will also maintain the safety of journalists, promote access to information and open up new information horizons, he said. In addition to providing legal, material and medical assistance to journalists who are exposed to arrests, Keulen announced that the centre would conduct training programmes and workshops for Qatari journalists in the near future and organise a training programme at the end of this month for reporters from Sudan. The website will provide a range of services such as news, reports, photos and search in three languages: Arabic, English and French.