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23 Aug 2015
<div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>August 23, 2015</strong><br />
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Two students of the Master’s Program at the Jordan Media Institute (JMI) have recently passed the Survival School Program offered by the Swedish Army for reporters in armed conflict zones. Ameera Mubarak and Safaa Lihsan have set a record in becoming the first two Arab female journalists to have passed this Program, as stated by the supervising team leader of the Swedish Army.<br />
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The Survival School Program aims at introducing reporters to the procedures and precautions they need to take to ensure their safety in war zones and areas of conflict. It also teaches them how to deliver news in a professional and non-biased manner despite the surrounding threats.<br />
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The Survival School is set in Karlsborg, south of Sweden, and is run under the supervision of highly skilled officers from the Swedish Armed Forces, including Royal Swedish Army, Swedish Air Force, and the Royal Navy Force. The Program, which was also attended by seven other JMI students, has a theoretical aspect in addition to the practical one and field applications.<br />
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Ameera Mubarak described her participation in the program as one of the most prominent experiences she had witnessed on a professional and personal level. The field skills and information acquired broadened her knowledge of the reporters’ role in covering news under such rough conditions, and the tools and equipment needed to guarantee their safety and security.<br />
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As for Safaa Lihsan, she believes that this experience has given her a wider perspective to the media industry; she has realised how the reporter in such situations becomes the victim, just for doing his job. The participants were shown examples of reporters who have survived covering the war in syria and other regions, for being trained in the Survival School.<br />
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<div style="text-align: justify;">During the program, the students were accompanied by the Swedish journalist Aida Burnett-Cargill, representing the Swedish branch of Reporters Without Borders (RWB) who was quite impressed by the decision taken by the female students to undergo and excel at this tough and challenging program. Burnett-Cargill has even described Ameera as the “Star of the Group”, for her courage and significant leadership skills in the toughest challenges, where she has once managed to rescue the whole group. Even though the program was exhausting on both the physical and psychological levels, and despite the health conditions Safaa faced, Burnett-Cargill explains how she offered full support to her colleagues.<br />
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<div style="text-align: justify;">Burnett-Cargill also comments on the importance of this Program as Journalism has become one of the most dangerous professions in the world due to the wars and armed conflicts, where reporters get exposed to kidnapping, torture, and political pressure. She adds that reporters in the Middle East and the Arab World are in dire need for such programs of personal safety and security while knowing how to deliver news professionally.</div>
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Sweden is one of four other countries that offer this specialized training for reporters. This Program is organized by Swedish branch of Reporters Without Borders (RWB) in cooperation with the Swedish Postcode Lottery Culture Foundation.</div>