First regional conference held by ARIJ in Amman. Photo: Lotte Dahlmann/IMS

240 participants had signed up to participate in the first regional conference for investigative journalism in the Arab world between 28-30 November in Amman. The conference was organized by Arab Reporters for Investigative Reporting, better known as ARIJ, set up in collaboration between Arab media experts, IMS and the Danish Association of Investigative Journalism in 2005 to support Arab journalists in pursuing this field of reporting

Prominent representatives of the media scene in the Arab world as well as globally came to Amman to share their experiences of investigative journalism with their colleagues from the Arab region. Opening the conference, Sheila Coronel, head of the Investigstive Journalism Centre at the University of Columbia and recipient of the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Journalism in 2003, gave the key note address on Friday 28 November to more than 200 participants at the Holiday Inn hotel in Amman.

- It's amazing. This is bigger than we ever hoped for, said the chairman of the board of ARIJ, Daoud Kuttab.

In the key note speech, Sheila Colonel presented examples from all over the world of the power of investigative reporting - including her own experiences as a reporter in the Philippines during the final days of former presidents Marcos and Estrada.

On Saturday Yosri Fouda, presenter and producer of the investigative programme "Top Secret" on the regional TV satellite channel Al Jazeera, gave an insight in his coverage of Al Qaida in the immediate aftermath following the 2001 9-11 terror attacks on the United States. An Al Jazeera veteran, Fouda drew a large crowd of young Arab journalists to whom he is today an icon in investigative reporting.

On the last day of the conference, another veteran attracted large crowds: Senior correspondent Tim Sebastian, formerly the host of the BBC show "Hard Talk" and now the host of the prestigious "Doha Debates", a monthly talk show aired on BBC.

Sharing experiences between journalists

The main objective of the conference was to allow reporters and editors to meet and share their experiences from successful investigations as a means to inspire one another. This model is used in other parts of the world and applied in bi-annual global conferences for investigative reporters, and it turned out to be a great success in Amman.

During the three days of the conference, 20 journalists gave their personal accounts of investigations they had carried out and published, and they readily answered questions from journalists hungry to learn more in the ensuing Q&A-sessions. Among the presenters were six ARIJ fellows who presented their work carried out with support from ARIJ, three of whom came from Syria. Also Danish investigative reporter Tom Heinemann presented examples of his work and shared with the participants, how he had carried out his research. In his presentation, Tom Heinemann invited journalists who would be interested to work with him to contact him. As a result, six journalists approached him after the session for further follow up.

- It was really exciting. I learned so much since I came here, said Caroline, a young journalist from Cairo, after the session of Tom Heinemann.

Introducing the ARIJ Award

At a galla dinner on Saturday, ARIJ introduced the ARIJ Award for best investigative reporter. The first and second-place awards went to Syrian journalists who wrote about transplant of human organs. Third prize was taken home by a Jordanian journalists for his stories about prostitution in Jordan. The awards were given as a distinction for outstanding work in a ceremony which saw the participation of the Minister for Information in Jordan.

The conference marked a cornerstone for ARIJ, that was established in 2005 in collaboration between Arab media experts, IMS and the Danish Association of Investigative Journalism and funded through IMS' regional media partnership programme for the Arab region funded through the Danish Arab Initiative. At the same time it was a turning point for investigative journalism in the Arab region as it celebrated some of the successful investigations carried out by ARIJ fellows.

The conference was covered by the local media in Jordan, among others the Jordan Times.

The executive director of ARIJ, Rana Sabbagh-Gargour, who is a distinguished Jordanian reporter herself, also wrote an account of the conference.

To see some of the investigations carried out by ARIJ fellows, visit ARIJ's website for further information.