Student journalists Laura Clements, Claire Grinsell-Jones, Lucy Harrington, Alyssia Tennant, and Tom Storey pose with the Doha skyline as the backdrop.
Five journalism students from the University of Canberra in Australia travelled to Qatar last week to deepen their understanding of the country and build professional networks.
The trip was part of the Australia-Middle East Journalism Exchange (AMEJE) programme of study tours which aims to enhance cross-cultural understanding between Australia and the Arab world by fostering better- informed journalism.
While in Doha, the students visited Qatar University, Al Jazeera, Museum of Islamic Art, the Imam Abdul Wahhab Mosque, and the Abdulla Bin Zaid Al Mahmoud Centre. They also met Australia’s Ambassador to Qatar, Dr Axel Wabenhorst.
Student journalist Alyssia Tennant found the experience to be eye opening. “Visiting Doha has been the experience of a lifetime, and I’m so amazed by all the things we’ve seen and the people we’ve met,” she said. “I’ve been so surprised to learn about the differences between Australia and the Middle East, but more so by how much we all have in common.
Similarly, student journalist Lucy Harrington thinks the study tour was very educational.
“Since arriving in Doha my understanding of Qatar and the broader Middle East region has completely transformed,” she says. “I am incredibly lucky to have met so many warm and welcoming people, experience the vibrant culture, and exploring the intriguing history of this area over the past week.”
Managing Director of AMEJE, Dr Scott Bridges, believes the study tour to Qatar was a great success.
“This was the students’ first visit to the Middle East and they arrived with a very basic understanding of the region,” he said. “They will return home to Australia having experienced Qatari culture first-hand and having formed professional relationships with Qataris from a diverse range of backgrounds. I have no doubt that these future journalists will draw on this experience to produce more nuanced reporting about the region throughout their careers.”
This is the third year that AMEJE has brought Australian journalism students to Qatar. AMEJE also took a group of Qatar University media students to Australia in 2016. Through these study tours and the continued collaboration between all of the students, AMEJE is proud to help strengthen ties between Australia and Qatar.
This year’s study tour was generously supported by the Australian government through the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s Council for Australian-Arab Relations. It was also supported by Qatar Airways, Qatar University, and the Embassy of Qatar in Australia.
