What Lies Ahead for the Independent Arab Press?

Beirut, Lebanon, will host the 4th Arab Free Press Forum in the first of a series of exceptional events planned for the city this coming June. Organized by the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA), this year's edition of the Arab Free Press Forum will be held in the build up to the 63rd World Newspaper Congress and 17th World Editors Forum.

As leaders throughout the Middle East and North Africa have been securing their hold on power or making sure it remains "in the family", the independent press continues its work, despite repressive government policies and economic hardships.

Yet what are the prospects for the Arab independent press to fully play its role as a counterweight to power and an opponent of governmental abuse? Can it investigate, challenge and provoke within the current political environment? Can it report critically and hold those in power to account if faced with immense political, judicial and financial pressures?

Editors, publishers and journalists from across the Arab world will come together in Beirut to address those questions, as well as the business challenges and opportunities facing the independent Arab press.

Contact Virginie Jouan (vjouan@wan.asso.fr), Director of Press Freedom and Media Development at WAN-IFRA, for more information on how to register for the Arab Free Press Forum.

Visit www.wanlebanon2010.com for information on the World Newspaper Congress.