Dubai: Amjad Taha, Director of the British Middle East Center for Studies and Research, said that in the media, the truth is always subject to manipulation, which forces us to look beyond what we see or read. He said there are a large number of news channels, newspapers and websites that are used by some entities to mislead the public and promote hidden agendas.
Taha said the UAE’s experiment in development, guided by its leadership, changed the country and transformed it into a successful model for modern nations. He was speaking at a session titled ‘Beyond the Truth’ on the first day of the Arab Media Forum 2019.
At the onset, Taha thanked the government of New Zealand for using the logo of the UAE’s Year of Tolerance in its campaign to counter the terrorist attack in Christchurch. He also extended his gratitude to the Arab Coalition soldiers fighting in Yemen.
During his session, Taha discussed the history of news broadcasts on radio and TV. He said the first Arab newspaper ‘Al-Waqa'I’ was published in Egypt in 1800, the first radio channel was launched in 1934 and the first TV channel was introduced in Iraq in 1954. Today, there are 1,349 Arabic TV channels, he said.
Taha said the new millennium brought the onset of social media, which virtually turned into news agencies owned by individuals with their own views. He said there are over 6.3 million Arab subscribers on Twitter, 64% of whom are under 30 years old. They post over 27 million tweets per day. This, according to Taha, forces us to investigate the truth about misleading information published on social media.
Taha said that over 23,000 fake Twitter accounts have been used to attack Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain and Egypt. However, these fake accounts were countered by 2 million real Twitter accounts that revealed the truth.
Concluding his session, Taha stressed on the importance of increasing awareness among Arab communities and educating the new generation on modern technologies and media production techniques to take advantage of the internet and counter fake news and hidden agendas.
-Ends-
© Press Release 2019Disclaimer: The contents of this press release was provided from an external third party provider. This website is not responsible for, and does not control, such external content. This content is provided on an “as is” and “as available” basis and has not been edited in any way. Neither this website nor our affiliates guarantee the accuracy of or endorse the views or opinions expressed in this press release.
The press release is provided for informational purposes only. The content does not provide tax, legal or investment advice or opinion regarding the suitability, value or profitability of any particular security, portfolio or investment strategy. Neither this website nor our affiliates shall be liable for any errors or inaccuracies in the content, or for any actions taken by you in reliance thereon. You expressly agree that your use of the information within this article is at your sole risk.
To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, this website, its parent company, its subsidiaries, its affiliates and the respective shareholders, directors, officers, employees, agents, advertisers, content providers and licensors will not be liable (jointly or severally) to you for any direct, indirect, consequential, special, incidental, punitive or exemplary damages, including without limitation, lost profits, lost savings and lost revenues, whether in negligence, tort, contract or any other theory of liability, even if the parties have been advised of the possibility or could have foreseen any such damages.
