Forum stresses need to fight fake news
KUWAIT: Under the patronage of His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, the 15th Arab Media Forum kicked off yesterday at Regency Hotel. Information Minister and Minister of State for Youth Affairs Mohammad Al-Jabri said Kuwait is keen to support the forum, which started as a Kuwaiti initiative to develop and embrace workers in various media fields.
Jabri said traditional and new media are taking a path to reach Arab societal thought, especially youth, pointing out that the Arab Media Forum chose in this year’s session an important issue, which is the news industry, its multiplicity of sources and its credibility. He noted that it is necessary to stand against the spread of fake news that affect young people, stressing the importance of the values of credibility and transparency that put the national interest above all considerations.
Jabri expressed his pleasure that the United Arab Emirates is represented by the emirate of Sharjah as the guest of honor of the Arab Media Forum, because Sharjah has a great impact in supporting Arab culture. “The emirate of Sharjah has become a special cultural oasis led by the Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohammed Al-Qasimi, who highly values all his positions in various fields, both towards Kuwait and Arabism as a whole,” he said.
Social networks Assistant Secretary General for Media Affairs at the Arab League Haifa Abu Ghazaleh said media are very important at present as their development coincided with the development of societies as well as technological progress, indicating that this development caused a kind of chaos and a huge amount of information flow. She said difficulty in the ability to verify news on social networks has increased the spread of inaccurate news and misinformation, pointing out that this has become a challenge facing various media.
Abu Ghazaleh said the task of media in the era of information flow is difficult and requires serious work to deal with misleading news and the threat posed to the Arab society to absorb and interact with the changes taking place in the world. Abu Ghazaleh stressed that the forum is being held during very complex circumstances, especially with the announcement by US President Donald Trump declaring Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, noting that the support of the Palestinian cause is a “sacred duty.” The Arab League has developed an international media plan to address the US decision on Jerusalem, she added.
Secretary-General of the Arab Media Forum Madhi Al-Khamees said the forum has been held for about 15 years. “It was inevitable to continue this work and keep the faith of the political leadership in Kuwait to sponsor and support this forum to be held year after year. We have had great support for many years by His Highness Sheikh Nasser AlMohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, the former prime minister,” he said. “We are keen to see this forum succeed, and remember that this cannot happen without the support of Kuwait.”