A wave of false reports spread among the public as Iran was launching attacks on the region recently, exposing the importance of having trusted sources of official information, Bahrain’s Minister of Information Ramzan Al Noaimi said on Thursday at the Arab Media Summit in Dubai.
Speaking at a ministers’ roundtable on the changing role of media, Al Noaimi said people who lived through these attacks saw first-hand how many false reports emerged.
He added that the experience also highlighted the credibility gap between official media and some international platforms that people had previously relied on, while institutions that were present and prepared to provide information were able to strengthen the public’s trust.
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‘Information chaos’
Jordan’s Minister of Government Communication Mohamed Hussein Al Momani said building trust begins with providing information professionally, placing it in its correct context and explaining it properly.
He said media institutions, including official, semi-official and private organisations, need sufficient space to carry out their journalistic work independently and make editorial decisions themselves.
Al Momani also warned of a growing “information chaos” and what he described as wars over narratives, saying media organisations need to present their own narratives in convincing ways and through formats suited to different audiences.
He said traditional official statements alone were no longer enough to reach audiences, with social media now an essential part of how information is communicated.
The discussion also focused on the challenge of rebuilding public trust in media, particularly during periods of political and social transition.
Media freedom in Syria
Syria’s Minister of Information Khaled Al-Shaar said his country was working to strengthen trust in its media sector, including by developing the legislative environment protecting media freedom.
He said speed alone cannot determine whether information is trusted, stressing that credibility must accompany rapid communication.
Al-Shaar also stressed that official media has a responsibility not only to provide information but to explain it in its proper context, while developing specialised forms of journalism for areas such as economics, sport and politics.
He said Syria was also working to address longstanding perceptions about the country and its media, arguing that changing these narratives was part of the broader transformation underway.
Social media as sources of news
Egypt’s Minister of State for Information Diaa Rashwan said the weakness of traditional media in some Arab countries had allowed social media pages to take on a larger role in producing and circulating news.
He said this had contributed to the spread of some material ranging from partially accurate reports to rumours and false information.
The ministers also discussed the role of government and media institutions during major crises, including wars and the Covid-19 pandemic, when audiences turned increasingly to official sources for information.
The roundtable was held as part of a wider discussion on how media institutions can maintain public trust as audiences increasingly receive news through social media and digital platforms.
Source: Khaleej Times