During the week of 1-7 March 2010, the Daily Mirror's security correspondent wrote about AMW's launch of adviser Haifa Zangana's new book "Dreaming of Baghdad." He also emailed AMW to say: "I found it really interesting."

AMW met with the Daily Mirror, Reuters, Al Quds Al Arabi, Sudan Vision, Press TV, and the EU observer and media outreach staff in Khartoum.

Al Quds Al Arabi published an article by AMW adviser Guy Gabriel on offensive Google results for the search term 'Arab'; and a senior editor at Al Hayat emailed AMW saying: "I loved your Google report."

AMW chairman Sharif Hikmat Nashashibi was interviewed by a media student from Falmouth University on Gordon Brown's questioning at the Chilcot Inquiry; and AMW helped a South African radio station find interviewees on the Iraqi elections.

Nashashibi was invited to a journalism conference in Denmark. "You represent some very interesting thoughts on how we in the Western media address Muslim issues, and how Muslims address issues in the Western world," one of the organisers said.

The UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office invited AMW to a Middle East briefing with Minister of State Ivan Lewis.

AMW liaised with the BBC, Daily Telegraph, New Statesman, Reuters, Press Complaints Commission, Global Arab Network, Arab News Broadcasting, Press TV, Al Hiwar, London Student, Pluto Books, the UN, the UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office, and the Saudi and Syrian embassies.

During the week of 22-28 February 2010, the Daily Express published a letter on Iraq by Arab Media Watch adviser Guy Gabriel; Forbes magazine published a commentary by Gabriel entitled "Google's sin of omission"; the Media Line published an article entitled "Google slammed for suggesting 'smelly Arabs'," for which Gabriel was interviewed; and the Media Diversity Institute published a press release about a Moroccan media study tour in the UK, which included a panel discussion with AMW chairman Sharif Hikmat Nashashibi.

The BBC World Service interviewed Nashashibi about the use of mercenaries in the Iraq conflict; the BBC World Service also interviewed him about Palestinian refugees, and Jewish refugees from Arab countries; and AMW adviser Victor Kattan was interviewed on Press TV by former London mayor Ken Livingstone about his book "From Coexistence to Conquest: International Law and the Origins of the Arab-Israeli Conflict 1891-1949," alongside a spokesman from the Zionist Federation.

AMW met with the Daily Telegraph; Gabriel travelled to Sudan to form part of the observation mission for the elections in April; AMW sent a reminder to the media about its launch of the book "Dreaming of Baghdad" by adviser Haifa Zangana; Nashashibi was a speaker on a panel discussing the topic: "How inclusive is the British media?"; AMW adviser Dr Dina Matar spoke at Westminster University on the topic: "What it means to be Palestinian - stories of peoplehood"; and Dr Matar chaired a session entitled "The Left of the PLO: West Bank & Gaza Strip."

AMW liaised with the Daily Telegraph, Daily Mirror, Reuters, Press Complaints Commission, Forbes magazine, the Institute for War and Peace Reporting, Al Jazeera English, Al Hayat, Al Quds Al Arabi, Middle East International, Press TV, Al Hiwar Al Arab, Arab News Broadcasting, Global Arab Network, the Cambridge Arab Media Project, the Arab Media Centre at Westminster University, Arab News, Libya's JANA news agency, Shorouk News, Elasbou, the UN, Amnesty International, Oxfam, the Arab League, the UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office, and the Libyan, Palestinian and Saudi embassies.

26 February 2010

Twenty five of Morocco's leading media owners and editors gathered in London on 25-26 February, 2010, to attend a conference and study tour to explore Inclusive Journalism.

The event, organised by the Media Diversity Institute, called "Inclusive Media for Inclusive Societies" is part of a two year programme to support a more responsible and inclusive media in Morocco, funded by the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

The two-day event included visits to the BBC Diversity Department, BBC Arabic Service, Channel 4, and The Guardian.

During the week of 15-21 February 2010, Arab Media Watch issued a press release to the media pointing out offensive terms when using the word 'Arab' in Google's search engine. BBC Arabic reported the findings, the Global Arab Network published the press release, and AMW accepted a request by Forbes magazine for a commentary on the issue. "This looks good," wrote the London bureau chief in an email. The Media Line requested an interview with AMW about the press release.

The Guardian published a letter by AMW adviser Chris Doyle on Tony Blair's Middle East role; Middle East International published an analysis of US-Syrian relations by AMW adviser Rime Allaf; the Sociel Science Research Council published a review by AMW adviser Guy Gabriel of the book "Saving Darfur: Everyone's Favourite African War"; Gabriel wrote to the Daily Express in response to a commentary on Iraq by Frederick Forsyth.

The Daily Mail requested AMW's help with info regarding the reported arrest of a Saudi prince in a London hotel; and AMW helped the Arab League with suggestions for media invitees for its annual reception.

AMW informed the media of its forthcoming launch of the book "Dreaming of Baghdad," by AMW adviser Haifa Zangana.

AMW helped Press TV arrange an Arab interviewee on the proposed US missile shield in the Gulf. AMW chairman Sharif Hikmat Nashashibi was interviewed about Israel’s assassination of a Hamas figure in Dubai, for an article to be published in Haaretz. He was interviewed by students from Goldsmiths University for a video-project on media coverage of Palestine. Nashashibi was also interviewed by a student from the Kings College War Studies Department on media coverage of Palestine. A third interview with him was about media coverage of Arabs.

The Second Secretary at the Egyptian Embassy, having attended a "Middle East Question Time" panel which included Nashashibi (organised by the Conservative Middle East Council), emailed him to say: "It was a real pleasure meeting you and seeing you in action."

AMW liaised with the Daily Telegraph, Reuters, GAN, Arab News Broadcasting, the Cambridge Arab Media Project, Palestine Telegraph, Al Hiwar, Aaram News, Al Arab, Arab News, Al Marsad News, Pluto Books, the UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office, and the Moroccan, Palestinian, Saudi and Syrian embassies.

16 February 2010

The Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign has published an e-book on the Jewish National Fund (JNF) that meets a need for an affordable introduction to the activities of the JNF, an organization supported financially by the British taxpayer but whose activities in Israel/ Palestine are politically-driven, and whose politics are nakedly racist. This little book reveals how a British charity works openly for the dispossession of Palestinian Arabs and the establishment of fully segregated Jewish-only communities and areas that exclude Arabs.