Knight Fellow Newsletter

Commemorating Knight Fellow Ayman Salah

We are writing to inform you of the loss of 2012 Knight Fellow Ayman Salah, who passed away last week. Ayman was an Egyptian digital entrepreneur and consultant on media business development.

As a Knight International Journalism Fellow, he established Hacks/Hackers chapters in the Middle East with the goal of expanding local technology and supporting development of independent, Arabic‐language media. He connected technologists and journalists by organizing boot camps where they worked to find tech solutions for information bottlenecks in Egypt, Jordan and Tunisia.

Ayman helped launch the Middle East News Agency’s SMS news service and worked with the USAID‐funded Media Development Program to assist news organizations in succeeding in a high-tech, competitive communications environment.

He partnered with UNESCO and Hacks/Hackers Amman in 2012, bringing together Jordanian journalists to explore creative technology solutions designed to overcome obstacles media organizations face such as the use of expensive, outdated technology platforms. 

We commemorate Ayman’s journalistic work in the MENA region’s media landscape and send our deepest sympathies to his family and friends.

ICFJ’s Vice President of Programs Patrick Butler speaks on Ayman’s impact:

Follow along for more updates on ICFJ Knight Fellows.

Isabella Genovese

ICFJ Knight Communications