Multimedia Writing (JRMC 2202) Audio assignment

Interview transcript

Interviewer: Rawan Ibrahim

Interviewee: Marwa Al-Mutafy
Place: Interviewees office
Room 1068
Department Of Journalism And Mass Communication
Abdul Latif Jameel Hall (JAMEEL)
The American University In Cairo (AUC), New Cairo Campus.
Cairo, Egypt.
Professor: Kim Fox
Date conducted the Interview: 16/10/2014
Date completed: 19/10/2014

Marwa Al-Mutafy Interview

Rawan Ibrahim

Persons present: Rawan Ibrahim -I

Marwa Al-Mutafy -S
Ibrahim:

Hi, this Rawan Ibrahim. I will be conducting an interview with Doctor Marwa
Al-Mut'afy. Uh, she is... her age is between umm 30, and 40 range, and shes
umm she use to be a student here at AUC, she graduated from AUC, and she
now works as professor at AUC in the um, the JRMC department. So, hello
doctor.

Al-Mutafy: Hello Rawan, how are you?

Ibrahim:

I'm good, how are you?

Al-Mutafy: I'm fine, thank you.

Ibrahim:

Okay, doctor umm, before being a professor here at AUC you

were a student, (Al-Mutafy: uh mm) and you graduated here, from here.
Umm, how was it for you? (Al-Mutafy: um) Like your experience?

Al-Mutafy: I use to live outside off Egypt for all my life. So, moving to back to
Cairo and going, enrolling at AUC was life-changing experience all
together for me. I had no friends, I didn't know anybody in my classes, and I
had to start from zero. So, AUC was more of social, and academic experience
for me both in the same time, (Ibrahim: uh mm) and I managed
to declare journalism mass communication, I was specialized in IMC
(Ibrahim: uh mm), and I graduated with honors from umm my class in 1999.

Rawan Ibrahim
Ibrahim:

Marwa Al-Mutafy Interview

So, when you graduated it was easy for you to umm, work in Egypt uh mm, as
well?

Al-Mutafy: I didn't start working right away I enrolled in the masters program (Ibrahim:
uh mm). I started my masters at the Television Journalism Sequence in the
Adham Center Mass Com. department (Ibrahim: uh mm). I graduated top of
my class, I was the executive producer of my class, and I finished my
academic my theoretical thesis as well. So, I did a dual program umm, with a
thesis in umm mass communication titled umm : War Media, And Public
Opinion, (Ibrahim: uh mm) umm, and then I started working.
Ibrahim:

Okay, So where is your first umm

Al-Mutafy: (Cutting Ibrahim.) My first job experience was at Nile news at the Egyptian
radio and television one of the thematic channels. I was a freelance reporter
(Ibrahim:uh mm) umm, for the Morning Show, for umm, another show called
umm, The World of diplomacy ( Ibrahim: uh mm), and for
the Midnight Newscast.
Ibrahim:

Can I ask you why did you leave it?

Al-Mutafy: I left because umm, I was moving into the academic arena more, I got a
job opportunity at one of the private universities, and I
was starting my academic career. So, I had to make a choice.
Ibrahim:

Umm okay, umm, Can I ask you did you have any opportunities to go abroad,
and travel abroad uh mm, for work?

Al-Mutafy: I did actually umm sadly I let it down. Years later I look at it, and maybe
wouldve been a life changing experience. I was offered actually a umm, the

Rawan Ibrahim

Marwa Al-Mutafy Interview

position of the middle east umm, producer for CNBC, which was starting in
Dubai, and I had to make a choice to finish my masters degree, my
academic, my theoretical masters degree, or travel to Dubai, and I had to
finish my masters.
Ibrahim:

So, basically (pause) if you had the opportunity again your gonna go?

Al-Mutafy: Umm, possibly yes.

Ibrahim:

Possibly yes (in whispered voice), okay umm, can tell me (ticking) the
difference (ticking) between being a reporter, and being a professor? (Pause)
(Al-Mutafy: umm) Here at AUC?

Al-Mutafy:

Well there is a lot of differences um working on the field is

very different because you are there, you are in the middle of the excitement,
youre aton on the move all the time, youre working 24 hour a day
sometimes, and in other day youre just sitting lazily at home. Umm, it's it's
different, it's different kind of rush. You see you results once your report goes
on air, and you see if you did a good job or bad job, (Ibrahim: uh mm) but
with academic work you interact with your students, you umm, you you
interact with different ideas, different ways of dealing with issues, umm, but
there reward is way at the end of the semester you know because even with
midterms, and quizzes, and assignments you still don't get the final result. So,
it's a final result for me as well as for my students as well.

Ibrahim:

Uh h ok, which one is more stressful being a professor or a reporter?

Al-Mutafy: It's different kind of stress for both, I mean for the For the field work you,
want to make, you want to get the interviews right, you want to everything

Rawan Ibrahim

Marwa Al-Mutafy Interview

go according to plan. Umm, working in the field umm, is different than doing
the masters of the Adham center because your not in control of thethe
video

(Ibrahim: yeah) there is a cameraman who is doing this job, and you might
tell them, or give them you know, because you see the finale picture, and
you want a Close up of this, or you want to big shot Wide shot of this or
you want to amplify something, umm, but the end of the video the
cameraman is dealing with the, with the video. Umm, so, it's different kind of
stress. Umm, in class you plan, you organize, you prepare PowerPoint, videos,
you know presentations, wherever it takes, but the reactions from the students
are really what is going to guide you, if your giving them the right load, or
more than they can appreciate, or less than they can handle, so it fluctuate. So,
it's different kind of stress actually.

Ibrahim:

Okay, umm, can ask umm, do you like it here at AUC as student, or more as
professor?

Al-Mutafy: Oh let me tell you something! This is what I tell me students, I never really
enjoyed my four years at AUC to the max because umm, moving from
from culture, I mean I was living in Dubai (pause), and Dubai back at the 90's
is not the Dubai you know right now, (Ibrahim: uh) very conservative, very
close culture, I was in girls school. Umm, so, mingling with the crowds, and
starting from scratch, you know, building a new social network, and all of that
Umm, was very different experience for me, and I didn't get to enjoy it as
much as I would have loved to, but, working at AUC is different kind of
pleasure as well because Umm, you still within the same environment only
from different perspective (Ibrahim: Yeah) Yeah. So

Marwa Al-Mutafy Interview

Rawan Ibrahim
Ibrahim:

(Cutting Al-Mutafy.) So, if you had the opportunity to go back in time...

Al-Mutafy:

(Cutting Ibrahim.) I would.

Ibrahim:

You would?

Al-Mutafy: Definitely, I would live really in different way. (Ibrahim: giggling.)

Ibrahim:

Okay, would do like to give to the AUC students a word of advice, or even a
quote to help them in the future in

Al-Mutafy: (Cutting Ibrahim.) Not just for AUC students [ but], for everyone. I mean
umm, we live in very difficult time umm, where things are changing all the
time, and things are rapidly, you know, evolving especially if we are talking
about media, but in general you have to remain you know honest with
yourself, you have to umm, enjoy every moment as it is (Ibrahim: uh mm),
umm (Pause.) Try to see your future, I know nobody can tell exactly what is
going to happen in the future, but you try to, you know, build your way, work
on your skills umm, understand your strength, and work on your weaknesses,
(Ibrahim: uh) you know, try to develop as person more than and a student,
or academic, or whatever, or I mean work on inner-self.
Ibrahim:

So basically, you want all the students not only in AUC, but all over
Egypt...

Al-Mutafy: (Cutting Ibrahim.) Everywhere, everywhere! Be, I love the quote that says:
"be the change you want in the world." If you don't start with yourself, and
you keep complaining, and whining about everyone else, while you yourself
are part of the problem it doesn't solve it. So, you have to really start with
yourself.

Rawan Ibrahim
Ibrahim:

Marwa Al-Mutafy Interview

(Breathing.) Okay, thank you very much.

Al-Mutafy: You're most welcome, good luck.

Ibrahim:

Thank you.