The workshop was over five days from January 2-6, 2021 and implemented under the supervision of Dr. Farid Abudheir, Ms. Dalal Radwan, Dr. Ibrahim Al-Aka and Mr. Ayman Al-Masri.

It was implemented as part of the Rig on press freedom project and the fruitful cooperation started in 1999 between An-Najah and OsloMet Universities in the field of media and communication.

The Rig on press freedom is a project made to raise journalism students’ understanding of the importance of press freedom. Journalism students look into the conditions for press freedom in countries around the world. The students’ news stories about press freedom is linked – or rigged – together and published.

In 2008, in order to teach journalism students the meaning and significance of press freedom and its conditions, this pedagogical tool was created at the Department of journalism and media studies at OsloMet. In 2015, Elsebeth Frey and Mathias Falch from OsloMet University did the Rig with journalism students at An-Najah in 2017 and 2019.

The workshop included the participation of 42 students from the Department of Communication & Digital Media and the Department of Radio & TV participated in the workshop who investigated and analyzed several media freedom violations in different Arab countries.

It aimed at raising journalism students’ understanding of the importance of press freedom in the world in general, and in the Arab world in particular.

During the workshop, the participants discussed emerging challenges to press freedom and journalists’ safety, and worked together on identifying solutions. They also discussed how to develop a healthy media in the Arab World.

The workshop included discussions on media ethics to ensure the free exchange of information that is accurate, fair and thorough.

The workshop included visiting prominent media organizations in Palestine such as Wafa, Pyalara, and Palestinian Broadcasting Corporation to introduce the students to shed some light on the violations to press freedom faced by journalists and the difficult reality in which they have to carry on their work.

It is worth mentioning that as part of this workshop, a number of students from the Department of Communication & Digital Media and the Department of Radio & TV were divided into groups with the purpose of investigating and writing news stories on the conditions of press freedom in different countries.