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A strong believer in New Media
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By
Mona Ahmed Al-Hammoudi
Published on
September 01, 2011
Type:
Article | |
Dr Sulaiman Al Hattlan was invited to give a guest lecture to the Young Media Leaders. Following a very interesting and animated discussion, Mona Ahmed Al Hammoudi from UAE University had the opportunity to interview Dr Al Hattlan.
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| Obstacles are also opportunities to learn | | | By Mohammed Salmeen Al Neyadi
Published on
September 03, 2011
Mohammed Salmeen Al Neyadi, HCT Men, interviews Hassan Fattah, the Editor-in-Chief of The National. | | |  Photo by Shamms Mohamed Al Meqbali, HCT Women
It is his passion for good stories that made Hassan Fattah, the Editor in Chief of The National newspaper, become a journalist. It is the same passion that guided him through every step of his career, and inspired the young graduate of Mining and Mineral Engineering to embark on his media journey. In 2003 Hassan Fattah became the founding editor of Iraq Today, an English language newspaper based in Baghdad. He worked as a Middle East correspondent for The New York Times, based in Dubai. In 2007, he joined the launch team of The National newspaper in Abu Dhabi as the Deputy Editor in Chief. In 2010, he became the Editor of the paper, overseeing its daily editorial production. Although he has a very busy schedule, Hassan Fattah made time to meet and talk at length with the Young Media Leaders, during their visit to The National newsroom.
- To begin with, what made you become a journalist?
When I was 14, my mother gave me a camera for my birthday. I immediately started taking photos, and photography soon became my main hobby. And as the days passed by, without me really noticing this, my hobby turned into something I couldn't live without. I can say that I learned how to be a journalist through the means of a camera lens. It allowed me to have a panoramic view of the world, and taught me how to explore various cultures and societies.
(Hassan Fattah told me jokingly that his father was not at all supportive of his idea to become a journalist, and instead insisted that his son study engineering. The young Hassan listened to his father and completed his engineering studies, but after graduating he went on to follow his true passion – reporting. He was 21 years old when he started writing for a specialist engineering publication. This was the beginning of his journey as a journalist.)
- What is your opinion of young Emirati journalists?
From my experience of working with young Emiratis, I see they are hard- working and very good at their academic studies in mass-media and journalism, but they lack practical experience in the field.
One of the main missions of The National newspaper is to offer a professional environment where young Emirati journalists can grow. We have a well- developed traineeship programme, and the ones who are accepted in this programme will gain invaluable experience and skills in our newsroom.
- Since I am a journalism student, what would you advise someone like me to do in order to become a successful Emirati journalist?
First, the most important quality a journalist must possess is open- mindedness. Journalists need to learn to accept all ideas, whether they believe them or not, even though sometimes the reality hidden behind those ideas or topics might not be something they are comfortable with.
Second, they have to work hard, especially at the beginning of their career, and allow themselves to learn from everything that happens around them.
Third, they have to accept that during their career they will face many challenges and obstacles. But they must embrace every single one of them and be brave, because they are actually opportunities to learn and improve their skills.
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