Activist forum discusses potential of online media

Yemeni website editors-in-chief and journalists recently attended a two-day workshop on the role of the electronic press in reform and women's rights issues, which concluded on Thursday. The workshop, attended by 30 editors and journalists from a number of local news websites, was organised by the Yemeni Female Media Forum (YFMF) in cooperation with the Berlin-based Friedrich Ebert Foundation. Topics discussed included the future of the electronic press, intellectual property rights, websites’ legal and ethical responsibilities, web security and the promotional potential of news websites. “The growing importance of news websites and their role in Yemen made us turn to the electronic press,” said YFMF head Rahma Hujaira. “We want to make website editors give sufficient space to women's rights – still in its infancy in Yemen – and reform issues.” “We’ve begun training journalists on the electronic press,” Hujaira continued. “This workshop represents the beginning of an attempt to determine the needs of the online press in Yemen, but it will be a long-term project.” Hujaira went on to point out the advantages of the online media, noting in particular its ability to reach readers both inside and outside of the country. “The readership of the electronic press is broader than that of physical papers,” she said. The Internet was first introduced in Yemen in 1996. Since then, the number of local news websites has increased steadily, reaching a total of 15 last year. MAJ/AR/AM