Northwestern Qatar students Ayman Al Rashid (left), Muaaz Dembinski, and Jawaher AlMoawda working together in the Newsroom, where journalism students learn to report and produce news shows.
Northwestern Qatar joins with Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism, Integrated Marketing Communications in celebrating the 100th anniversary of Medill. Northwestern Qatar has awarded degrees in journalism since 2008 with its nearly 200 journalism alumni joining 18,000 Medill graduates worldwide in leading successful careers in journalism, corporate communications, politics, social media, and law.
Commenting on this institutional milestone, Marwan M. Kraidy, dean and CEO of Northwestern Qatar, noted that by establishing a campus in Doha that included a journalism and strategic communication program, Northwestern positioned itself to contribute to the growth and future development of the media and communication industry in the Middle East and the Global South.
“Journalism is in deep crisis worldwide under the combined forces of politics, economics, and technology, and the Middle East is no exception,” Kraidy said, “Northwestern Qatar expands the Medill tradition of training the best journalists in the making and raising awareness that independent media are important contributors to the rise and wellbeing of societies.”
Mary Dedinsky, a double alumna and long-time faculty member of Northwestern Qatar and Medill, was recently inducted into Medill’s Hall of Achievement. She is the first woman to be named managing editor of the Chicago Sun-Times and has been elected to the Chicago Journalism Hall of Fame.
“A Northwestern journalism degree has never been more important, said Dedinsky, “You can do everything and anything with it because you learn how to think, to analyze, to ask questions, to be clear and accurate, how to write, how to talk, how to produce video or VR or AR or animation. It is a broad degree that can take you anywhere you want to go. The world is a scary place of misinformation/disinformation and that condition needs to be righted – a challenge that are our students are prepared and equipped to tackle.”
Medill prides itself on its constant innovation, thought leadership, and hands-on learning programs, which include a 10-week residency where its students are placed at some of the world’s top media organizations to gain real-world experience and work alongside professionals in the industry.
Inaara Gangji, a Northwestern Qatar student from Tanzania, said her undergraduate career afforded her opportunities to pursue her passion for telling stories on women’s issues, social justice, and the Global South. So far, her work has appeared in USA TODAY, Al Jazeera, and Forbes Africa. Gangji is also the editor-in-chief of the student-run Daily Q and the recipient of a Mental Health fellowship by the Rosalynn Carter Center.
