In today’s digital age, many of us find ourselves constantly connected to our devices, closely following the distressing events in the Middle East, especially Gaza, and mourning the loss of innocent lives. The 24/7 news cycle can be both relentless and overwhelming. It’s easy to feel besieged by a deluge of information, videos, and reports, not all of which are accurate or genuine.
Compounding these challenges are alarming trends threatening free speech. Recent firings of journalists and editors at Axel Springer and Artforum underscore the precarious state of press freedom and the pressures many face in the media industry.
We’re confronted not only with misleading images, half-truths, and outright fabrications but also with an environment where voices are silenced for their views. It’s disheartening to hear about attempts to downplay the tragedies, suppress essential information, or muzzle dissent, leading us to question where the truth lies amidst this intense information warfare.
Here at Wishbox Media, we dedicate significant time and effort to researching and recommending tools to help you navigate this complex digital landscape.
Dive into our Media Consumption section in this newsletter to explore more. Stay connected with us on social media, tune into our live discussions, and explore our website for a deeper understanding of our offerings.
Hoping for a world at peace.
Rana F. Sweis
Founder, Wishbox Media
💡 What we’ve been up to
📺 NEWS! Wishbox Media's Founder and Managing Director, Rana Sweis, met with the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) in Washington, D.C., to formally initiate our collaboration. We're establishing an innovation fund to support local journalists and media content creators, emphasizing women, youth, and refugees. Additionally, we'll introduce an exchange program for journalists between the US and Jordan.
📱 MIDEAST SEMINAR: Wishbook Media, along with over 30 other media institutions, participated in a regional event organized by the Qarib program, an initiative of the French Agency for Media Cooperation and Development (CFI).
🎥 STORYTELLING: With support from the Qarib program, we’ll begin producing media content next month that highlights topics such as economics, politics, climate change, and more.
🌆 Wishbox Media attended the Trust Conference by the Reuters Foundation in London this month.
This year’s conference emphasized:
Journalism in exile
Legal and cyber threats to media freedom
The impact of AI on labor rights, human autonomy, and information systems
The role of the law in securing climate justice
How responsible and sustainable practices can deliver social impact
💬 Social Media: We tagged along with our client Questscope to document renowned singer Ellie Goulding’s visit to the Zaatari camp, where she inaugurated a music program. We’re passionate about managing Questscope’s social media channels and ensuring their message resonates deeply with their audience.
📊 Communications Services: We’re collaborating with The Swedish Dialogue Institute for the Middle East and North Africa to offer communications services. This month, the Wishbox Media team met with their representatives and staff to brainstorm layout, design for an impending report, animation, social media campaigns, and more.
🎙️ Live Talks: This month's LivesTalk program featured cartoonist Omar Adnan Abdallat, who discussed (in Arabic) the importance of illustrations and animation in social media posts to tell compelling stories. #LIVETALKS.
🎧 You can listen to an excerpt from the conversation with Omar below:
🖥️ At Wishbox Media, we’re dedicated to producing meaningful and thought-provoking content, and these exciting collaborations and achievements propel us further on our mission to make a positive impact in the media industry.
🗄️ From the archives
📹 Nearly two years ago, we created a video series highlighting the engagement of Jordanian youth in politics. This project was undertaken in partnership with the Konrad Adenauer (KAS) Foundation. Here's a sneak peek of one video from the series.
📨 Drop us a note if you want to collaborate with us on creating compelling videos that tell your stories.
📺 Our media consumption
📇 TOOLS: One tool we highly recommend to organize your contacts, stay in touch with them, and send them regular updates is Cloze. We love using it to make sure we are in regular communication with our network and send them relevant messages based on their interests and expertise.
🎥 VIDEO CONTENT: Meta has recently published a report titled “Evolving Consumption Shifts, and What Marketers Need To Consider.” The report highlights the key consumption shifts that brands need to consider in their marketing outreach. One eye-opening fact revealed by the report was that over 82 % of the content will be video.
📉 FACT-CHECKING: A recent analysis by the New York Times showed the number of fact-checking operations at news organizations and elsewhere has stagnated and that those who write about falsehoods around the world are facing harassment and personal threats.