As part of the field visit, graduate students from Ibn Haldun University School of Communication, Department of New Media and Communication, visited Al Jazeera’s Istanbul Bureau on Wednesday, 26 November, under the hosting of Bureau Chief Abduladheem Mohamed. The visit was attended by Assist. Prof. Yasmin Aldamen along with PhD students Shaymaa Faour, Dilara Maraba, Hadi Salahat, Adama Bamba, and Mona Shaheen. The program concluded with a Q&A session with senior journalists, followed by a guided tour of the studios and various departments.
As part of the visit, students had the opportunity to gain firsthand insight into the realities of war reporting through the experiences shared by Al Jazeera journalists. Omar Alhajj, a correspondent at the Istanbul Bureau, spoke about the professional risks he encountered while covering the Azerbaijan Armenia conflict, the ongoing war in Ukraine since 2022, and the war in Syria. Sharing an anecdote from his assignment in Syria, Alhajj explained the conditions under which events were reported during the process leading to the collapse of the Bashar al-Assad regime. Assist. Prof. Yasmin Aldamen highlighted Al Jazeera’s editorial approach focused on documenting violations during periods of occupation, its pioneering journalistic practices in conflict and war zones, and its position within international journalism.
The session was further enriched by contributions from Producer and Simultaneous Interpreter Nedal Siyam, News Producer and Journalist Ali Abo Rezeg, and Al Jazeera Correspondent Amer Lafi. Discussions addressed Al Jazeera’s editorial stance on crisis and conflict reporting. In particular, international human rights organizations’ assessments and the global public perception of Israel’s attacks on Gaza were examined.
Responding to students’ questions on objectivity in journalism, the speakers emphasized professionalism, accuracy, and ethical responsibility rather than an abstract notion of neutrality. Using Gaza as an example, they underlined the importance of journalism carried out by Palestinian reporters on the ground under conditions of severe personal risk. It was noted that local journalists become even more critical when international reporters face restricted access to conflict zones. Ali Abo Rezeg referred to the case of Palestinian journalist Anas al Sharif, who lost his life during Israeli attacks on August 10, 2025, drawing attention to the vital role assumed by local correspondents during periods of conflict. He argued that information reported directly from the field by local journalists should be considered a new academic model within contemporary journalism studies.
The speakers also emphasized that Al Jazeera prioritizes the employment of local journalists who produce news directly from the field and adheres to the principle of representing different perspectives in conflict coverage.
In response to a question regarding the language and terminology used in reporting Palestinian casualties, Amer Lafi stated that Al Jazeera journalists are obligated to convey verified facts without inserting personal opinions. He stressed that the network does not expect its reporters to adopt an activist stance. The session also addressed the role of artificial intelligence in journalism. Nedal Siyam explained how AI is used as a supportive tool in translation processes, while also drawing attention to the ethical responsibilities associated with these technologies. Ali Abo Rezeg briefly mentioned AI based projects developed at Al Jazeera’s headquarters in Qatar.
During the final part of the program, students visited the television studio and control room, where they received information about the technical dimensions of broadcasting, particularly sound and visual management. The visit concluded with an evaluation meeting with Bureau Chief Abduladheem Mohamed, who shared insights into Al Jazeera’s agenda setting processes and the daily operations of its news center.
At the end of the program, Assist. Prof. Yasmin Aldamen, on behalf of the School of Communication at Ibn Haldun University, expressed her gratitude to the Al Jazeera team and Bureau Chief Abduladheem Mohamed for providing students with this valuable educational opportunity.
