On Wednesday 21 November, the AIIA (NSW), in conjunction with the Walkley Foundation and Just Media Advocacy hosted Wadah Khanfar to discuss the future of the media industry, the role of media in driving change and the relationship between social networks and media.
Wadah Khanfar, co-founder of the Sharq Forum and former Al-Jazeera director general, will explore the challenges to continually bring out exciting and innovative journalism across many platforms.
Khanfar is one of the people responsible for changing the international media landscape in the last ten years. He has been ranked as one of the most “Powerful People in the World” by Forbes magazine, one of the top 100 global thinkers by Foreign Policy magazine, named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum, recognised as the third most influential Arab by Arabian Business, and named one of the most influential Muslims in the world by the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre.
Starting as a commentator on Al-Jazeera in the late 90s, he reported from the front lines of conflict as bureau chief and correspondent in Kabul, bureau chief in Baghdad, and eventually the director general of Al-Jazeera from 2006-2011. Since leaving Al-Jazeera, Khanfar has co-founded the Sharq Forum, an independent think tank dedicated to developing long-term strategies for political development, social justice and economic prosperity of the people of the Middle East.