How the tablet can benefit news reporting

The discussion will look at the emergence of the iPad, tablets and e-readers as viable news platforms and how news companies will get the most out of them.

Speakers addressing the topic include:

• Marcus Brauchli, executive editor, Washington Post, USA;
  
• Bart Brouwers, managing editor for Hyperlocal Online Media, Telegraaf Media Group, The Netherlands;
  
• Josh Cohen, senior business product manager, Google News, Google, USA;
  
• Alfredo Triviño, director of creative projects, News International, UK;
  
• Wataru Sawamura, foreign editor, Asahi Shimbun, Japan.

"The World Editors Forum always tries to anticipate the most vibrant debates that count for editors-in-chief," said Bertrand Pecquerie, executive director of the Editors Forum.

"We believe we are entering a new information ecosystem and will have to focus on new key elements," he said. "These include the new reading devices and how they impact news reporting. We will also focus on the growing importance of linking and sharing among a variety of news sources, and on the need for more cooperation between news organisations that once saw themselves as purely competitors."

1500 editors-in-chief, publishers, managing directors and other senior newspaper executives are expected to attend the 17th World Editors Forum, 63rd World Newspaper Congress and Info Services Expo 2010. It is the first time the events are being held in the Arab world.

The Editors Forum will be preceded in coming weeks by a series of online seminars, or webinars, on the iPad and tablets and how newspapers can make the most from these platforms. The three, one-hour webinars will feature Juan Señor of the Innovation International Media Consulting Group, Jeff Litvack, general manager for mobile and emerging products at The Associated Press, and Triviño. Señor will also be speaking in Beirut.

Full webinar details can be found at www.editorsweblog.org/webinars.html.

For more information, go to www.wanlebanon2010.com/articles.php?id=114.