The Arab region is a target of the increasing “media war,” against it that requires legislation at all levels to fight back and further protect journalists.
This was stated by the general manager and editor-in-chief of Al Arab News Channel Jamal Kashoogi.
He was speaking during the first session of the GCC Media Forum that opened on Monday.
The Information Affairs Authority (IAA) is holding the two-day symposium under the slogan “Impact of Mass Media and Telecommunication on National Security”.
Kashoogi was one of the speakers of the talks held under the theme: “Mass media between the right to exercise the profession and the limits to protect national security”.
“Media men and producers should adhere to high levels of accuracy as everyone knows the real war the Arab region is facing is the media war against it,” he said.
He called for legislations to protect journalists to make them more independent and comfortable to deal with different situation.
Bahraini daily Akhbar Al Khaleej Editor-in-Chief Anwar Abdulrahman highlighted in his speech the importance of Arab journalists to reach out to their counterparts in the West.
“We have to speak to the outside world in their own language.”
“Targeting the foreign media is important as they often turn ordinary people to heroes and heroes to ordinary people,” Abdulrahman, said.
Emirati Mohammed Al-Hamadi at this point raised the point of media to be a separate entity from national security and backed legislations to boost the media sector in the region
Kuwaiti Ahmed Al-Fahd, another speaker of the session called for journalists to release accurate news timely with objectivity and credibility
“It is important to the break news on time as it will put to rest any wrong information being spread by the social media during that period.”
The session was moderated by Qatari Dr. Ahmed Abdulmalak.
The forum, which features four key sessions, was attended by close to 150 GCC media representatives, including ministers, media and telecommunications experts, academic figures and specialists.