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Ailyn Agonia
Doha
AL Jazeera Arabic Senior Producer Jassim al Rumaihi urged journalism students to network with and volunteer in different entities and agencies to gain confidence and further enhance their skills during a special community meeting hosted by the Northwestern University in Qatar (NU-Q) in Doha on Monday.
The correspondent known for his notable coverage including the beginning of the war in Yemen, the 2014 parliamentary election in Tunisia and the 2014 earthquake in Nepal is one of few NU-Q graduates working with Al Jazeera. Jassim is also known for his documentary film works with Doha Film Institute (DFI).
"It's great to be back in this room where it all started. I started my journey at Al Jazeera in January, 2012. I was offered the job of a coordinator in the newsroom, wherein I would basically coordinate with correspondents over coverage. I was lucky to be in a department where there were a lot of journalists. The journey started there," he said.
Jassim was warmly welcomed by the faculty members led by NU-Q Dean and CEO Everette E Dennis and some students during the special session.
Talking about the trainings that prepared him for a job in a big organisation like Al Jazeera, Jassim credited some of his confidence in speaking before an audience to his emceeing career prior to joining the media field. He also urged graduates of NU-Q to enhance their Arabic language by reading Arabic materials and watching Arabic films.
"After graduation, I got a lot of emceeing opportunities. I started with small events and then eventually moderated more professional and bigger events," he said. He also underscored the impact of the Arab Spring on his decision to switch to politics from sports, which was his first interest.
"While in NU-Q, I was passionate about sports. But then the Arab Spring happened. I don't know how it affected other people, but it impacted me greatly. I really thought that now the youth has a voice and it encouraged me to apply for a job in Al Jazeera," Jassim added.
During the session, he also talked about the difference in learning journalism to actually working in the field especially given the competition in the industry, the social pressure that comes with the job and the opportunities that come with working with Al Jazeera which he described as a lifetime opportunity.
