Menschengruppe posiert in Prunkraum vor ägyptischer und

Journalism & Democracy

Under the impression of the “Arab Spring,” The Skills Group initiated an education and training program for young Egyptian journalists in 2011

In Egypt, the “Arab Spring” in 2011 led to the country’s first free and democratic elections. At the same time, it brought numerous changes to the media landscape. New print and online media emerged that were more independent of government agencies, and there was also a generational change in the editorial teams of established media. Young editors, bloggers and TV producers had to assert themselves in a difficult social and political environment and helped shape the new Egyptian media landscape.

The Skills Group, in cooperation with the Austrian Federal Press Service and the Concordia Press Club, developed an education and training program for journalists from Egypt. The aim was to contribute to democratization and media diversity in the Arab world. The program also aimed to convey the special role and responsibility of the media in a democracy and their relationship to institutions and government bodies. The highlight of the program was a one-week study tour to which representatives of Egypt’s leading new media were invited.

With this project, The Skills Group won the PR State Award 2013: “The initiative for close cooperation between Egyptian and Austrian journalists, implemented in a highly professional and international manner, aims to provide an important impetus for the development of democracy in the Arab world with concrete, sustainable measures: By networking and building up know-how, an important contribution is made to a free media landscape,” the jury statement reads.

Journalism & Democracy was also awarded the Global PR Award – World’s best CSR campaign in 2015, presented by the international industry association ICCO. In 2017, the successful program was run for a second time.

For more information see the Newsroom.

Award Ceremony State Award Public Relations 2013
State Award Public Relations 2013 for the project “Journalism & Democracy”: from left: Section Head Michael Losch (BMWFJ), Mohamed-Ali Ibrahim (Skills Center Arab World), Jürgen Gangoly (The Skills Group), Ingrid Vogl (PRVA President)