For the fourth time, ten young journalists from various Arab countries and participants and alumni of the Journalist Academy of KAS (JONA) will produce a magazine together.

This year’s academy started on December 3rd in cooperation with the KAS-Regional Program Gulf-States, located in Abu Dhabi, and the Journalists Association of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). At an orientation day in the UAE capital Abu Dhabi the participants gathered in-depth information on the current financial crisis.

Discussions with Dr. Rainer Hermann, foreign correspondent of the FAZ, Bill Spindle, Head of Business Products at the Emirati newspaper „The National“ and the German ambassador Klaus-Peter Brandes marked the beginning of the 12-day seminar. During their stay in Dubai the young journalists will research, write and produce a magazine on the question if the Gulf states can serve as a blueprint to the globalized world.

The participant come from Germany, the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Saudi-Arabia. They will cooperate in German-Arab teams. Additionally to the magazine, the best pieces will be published in a supplement of the weekly newspaper „Rheinischer Merkur“ in January. For the first time the academy will produce a film as well.