Ms Naila Nabil Hamdy, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Journalism and Mass Communication at the American University in Cairo, Egypt. Her teaching and research interests focus on various aspects of the journalism profession in Egypt and the region, media convergence, media and political participation, and media development in the Arab region.…

A. Sofie Jannusch is a consultant at the Catholic Media Council (CAMECO) in Aachen, Germany, an agency dedicated to Media and Communications in Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, Latin America and the Pacific. At the service of donor organisations (CAMECO members and external funders) media projects are assessed, advice on funding policy is provided, and evaluations of programmes and projects are carried out.…

Ms Jillo Kadida is the Chief reporter for The Star newspaper in Kenya. Her main beat is covering court cases and issues touching on human rights. Jillo whose career was born out of her passion for human rights, has done stories highlighting plights of minority groups such as intersex, refugees and internally displaced persons.…

Mr Ouri Pota Pacamutondo holds an M.A. in Communication Sciences from the University of Minho in “Information and Journalism”. His thesis was titled “The Television System in Mozambique: A Contribution for the Analysis of the Audiovisual Area in the Lusophone World”.…

Mr Joseph Straubhaar, PhD, is the Amon G. Carter Sr., Centennial Professor of Communication, the Director of Media Studies in the Radio-Television-Film Department, and the Director of the Latino and Latin American Media Studies Program at the University of Texas at Austin.…

Mr Ivan Rodionov is the senior editor of Ruptly, a newly established international news agency based in Berlin. Ruptly provides video news stories to clients around the world and is owned by the multilingual news channel RT, previously called Russia Today.…

Mr Anbin Shi, PhD, is a Professor of Media and Cultural Studies, Associate Dean of International Development with School of Journalism and Communication, and Director of Israel Epstein Center for Global Media and Communication, Tsinghua University, China. His research interests include intercultural communication, global communication, public communication, press and politics.…

Mr Daya Thussu, is Professor of International Communication and the Co-Director of the India Media Centre, the world’s first academic centre dedicated to the study of media in India and its globalizing tendencies, launched in 2010 at the University of Westminster in London.…

Mr Herman Wasserman, PhD, is Professor and Deputy Head of the School of Journalism and Media Studies, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa. He holds a doctorate from the University of Stellenbosch, and has worked as a newspaper journalist before starting his academic career.…

Patrick H. Leusch, head of DW Akademie’s International Cooperations Division, is responsible for managing international fundraising activities, representing DW Akademie to international donors, networks and at conferences. His team develops strategic media projects worldwide with international consortia and partnerships.

He has an extensive experience in organizing and conducting trainings, coaching and consultancies in the areas of public relations and media skills; and organizing journalism and management trainings for staff at international radio and television stations, including themes such as media freedom, ethic, media as public service, independence of the media.…