Social media eventually seem able to fill the gap between technology and society. Social media revealed to be the ideal tools for journalism in crisis area, and the so-called Arab Spring showed the importance of grassroots practices. Nonetheless, the controversial aftermaths of the Arab Spring highlight the need of defining an advanced method for training new generation journalists. As to Libya, the fall of the Gheddafi regime lifted restrictions on the long-repressed media sector. Citizen journalism became more common, but media freedom is increasingly limited by political violence that has made objective reporting dangerous. Many journalists and media outlets have ceased operations to avoid retribution by armed groups (Freedom in the World Report, 2017).
Over the last few years, there has been an increased recognition of the role of journalism in promoting democracy, and this has created a demand for well-trained journalists. Governments have to take concrete actions to improve press freedom and implement new media laws, but universities can play a crucial role, incorporating journalism studies into their curricula, stressing the importance of social networks, educating a new generation of cross-media journalists.
In that context, PAgES address the modernization of the HE sectors in Libya through a participatory approach in order to form well-trained journalists, to improve quality education and to boost the social media growth.
Objectives
PAgES aims at contributing to the modernization of the Higher Education (HE) sector in Libya and support the implementation of the Bologna Process through a bottom-up approach for the design and pilot of a Master Course in Cross-Media Journalism.
PAgES work to:
- exchange best practices in the field of higher education and cross-media journalism by means of an analysis of the state of the art;
- create and improve Multimedia Labs in Libyan Universities to support technical training;
- build capacities of staff through a training framework and study visits at the EU partner universities;
- develop a curriculum in Cross-Media Journalism based on a participatory approach;
- set-up and offer a Master Program in Cross-Media Journalism in Libya.
Main Activities
- Lessons Learned and Training Framework
- Design of the Master Program
- Creation of Multimedia Labs and Training of Trainers
- Master Course Offering
| Project Acronym | PAgES |
| Programme | European Commission, Erasmus+, KA2 – Capacity-building in the Field of Higher Education |
| Lead Contractor | Libera Università di Lingue e Comunicazione – IULM |
| Partners | UNIMED, Unione delle Università del MediterraneoUAVR, Universidade de AveiroUGR, Universidad de GranadaUNIROMA1 , Sapienza Università di RomaUOT, University of TripoliSU, Sirte UniversityMU, Misurata UniversityZU, University of Zawia |
| Budget | 890.892,00 EUR |
| Project Duration | From 15 January 2019 to 14 January 2022 (Extended) |
| Project No | 598349-EPP-1-2018-1-IT-EPPKA2-CBHE-JP |
| Project website | https://pages-project.ly |
| Contact Person | Cristina Stefanelli, c.stefanelli[AT]uni-med.net |