Both traditional and new media have witnessed a surge in audience numbers as a result of people’s interest in following the coverage of the global pandemic as said at the 19th edition of the Arab Media Forum organized virtually by Dubai Press Club.
Speaking at a virtual session titled ‘Reshaping the Arab Media’, Abdulrahman Al-Rashed, Chairman of Al Arabiya’s Editorial Board noted, “In comparison to previous years when people were interested in diverse issues, this year there was one topic that consumed the interest of the entire human population the global pandemic. 2020 was a turbulent year that brought many challenges for the media industry as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the contributions of digital platforms in successfully communicating messages about the pandemic, some media entities failed to maintain their credibility.”
Mr Al-Rashed pointed out that social media users play a huge role in circulating fabricated news and rumors, which have spread fear among people.
Speaking about the roles of traditional and new media, he said, “We cannot disregard the achievements of traditional media and assume that members of society will only rely on digital platforms for information. This form of media has a massive audience and the ability to disseminate huge amounts of credible information on a regular basis. The idea being promoted by some about the ability of media to change the political landscape is nothing but a myth. The political landscape is created by politicians.” He further noted that more people are following coverage of political issues in Arab media due to the proliferation of digital platforms. The media can only create political awareness among the audience. It may have some effect on the political landscape but it cannot shape it.”
“The global pandemic has changed the Arab media landscape. Many media professionals have come to realize that the world does not revolve around politics and that there are many other critical issues facing humanity, such as health and medicine, among others that affect people’s lives,” concluded Mr Al-Rashed.
