2010 World Newspaper Congress speakers announced

The events, organised by the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) and hosted by the An-Nahar newspaper, are expected to draw 1,500 newspaper publishers, managing directors, CEOs, chief editors and other senior newspaper executives to Beirut. It is the first time the global events will be held in the Arab world.

"The reputation of the congress and forum as the leading and most prestigious annual events for the world's publishers and news executives is long established," said Timothy Balding, director-general, global affairs of WAN-IFRA. "These meetings provide newspaper executives with the latest trends in our business globally, insights into the most successful publishing strategies from the leaders of the world's news publishing industry, and an opportunity to network with colleagues from every culture, region and market."

Lebanon - a shining example

"The choice of Lebanon for these historical events was self-evident for an organisation like WAN-IFRA, which vigorously promotes and defends media freedom and opposes the tyrants and autocratic regimes which seek to crush its emergence," he said.

"Throughout the Middle East and North Africa, the free press is in various degrees controlled, oppressed, suspended, banned and censored, as publishers, editors and journalists are harassed, attacked, persecuted and imprisoned.

"Lebanon is a shining exception in an otherwise dark regional tableau: its newspapers and electronic media are fully free and diverse and have achieved an impact and influence far beyond the borders of this small country."

Confirmed speakers for the congress include:

Mohamed Alayyan, the chairman of Al Ghad newspaper, the leading independent daily newspaper in Jordan, which has been at the forefront of multimedia development built around the core value of providing relevant, local content, no matter what the platform.

Oliver Fleurot, the CEO for public relations, corporate and financial communications and events management for Publicis Groupe. Fleurot, a former chief executive of the Financial Times, believes not enough is known about advertising effectiveness on the web and more research is needed. "You have to consider the traditional media as a sort of place where you understand what's going on, which is safe, and you must think of the web as a place where you are an explorer," he says.

Roman Gallo, the CEO of PPF Media, whose Nase Adresa (Our Address) in the Czech Republic is one of the most talked about hyper-local news projects in the world. PPF Media is in the process of blanketing the country with 200 different hyper-local weeklies, whose reporting teams are based in company "news cafes". The combination of newsrooms and Internet bistros is designed to facilitate contacts with readers and potential sources (and also bring in revenue).

Other highlights of the congress include:

• "World Trends in the Newspaper Industry: An Update", the annual state of the industry address by Timothy Balding, director-general of WAN-IFRA Global Affairs.
  
• Presentation of the best from the 2010 strategy reports of WAN-IFRA's major Shaping the Future of the Newspaper research project, analysing developments and opportunities in the press industry.
  
• The 2010 Global Report on Innovations in Newspapers by the Innovation International Media Consulting Group.
  
• Annual round table seminars on press freedom ("What's Ahead for the Independent Arab Press"), digital media ("Digital Futures 2010"), and young readership development ("Winning Strategies for Engaging the Young ­ Latest Strategies").
  
• A gala opening ceremony that includes presentation of the prestigious Golden Pen of Freedom, the annual press freedom prize from WAN-IFRA. The 2010 Golden Pen will be presented to Iranian journalist Ahmad Zeid-Abadi.
  
• A session on new content platforms, which will examine the surge in sales of electronic readers for books, notably 'tablets', and the multiplication of mobile devices with easy and comfortable access to news sites. These developments have given a new lease of life to the idea that wireless platforms may yet take a central role in news publishing. The session will examine current newspaper experiments in publishing on such devices and takes a whirlwind tour of what's now on the market.

For more information, go to www.wanlebanon2010.com.