‘Media has most powerful effect on people’

Manama: Media has the single most important influence on individuals and society, Bahrain’s information minister has said.

“The security and stability of the people are no longer confined to the application of laws and regulations and to strengthening military defences and concluding security agreements and other traditional measures that would protect the homeland,” Sameera Bin Rajab said.

“The most critical factor important for security and stability in any society is a community awareness that can be achieved through multiple means, the most important of which is the media in its various forms and shapes,” she said on Sunday evening as she addressed a gathering of media professionals in Kuwait.

The two-day Arab media forum is bringing together media figures, including ministers, from several Gulf and Arab countries.

“The media has become today, with its complex combinations, one of the most important channels to increase community awareness in its relations with culture, behaviour modification and development of thought in the society.

“Media production, across all its forms, has the most significant impact on the behaviour of the individual and society, and it is the main source for the formation of public opinion.

“For such reasons, media leaders should assume fully the responsibility of thinking seriously about the goals that we want to achieve through the media in our countries.”

A successful drama can put an unknown country high on the list of favourites among the people thanks to the message it sends and the positive image it projects, she said.

“However, a negative movie can make a well-known country lose its beautiful image. A positive image is equated with security and stability while a negative image contributes to weakening people and eroding their trust in the country,” she said.

The minister, one of three women in Bahrain’s government, said that advanced countries were invariably interested in the media and gave it a special status in their programs, plans and projects.

“They are well aware of the significance of the media in prompting awareness standards, in consolidating the twin pillars of security and stability and in supporting local cultures,” she said.

However, the minister insisted on the importance of providing adequate funds.

“The media industry and investments require great potential and huge budgets that must be provided in order to achieve the nation’s objectives to the fullest.

“The media industry, considered one of the heavy industries, is not less important than the oil industry and requires qualified personnel and adequate equipment for the complex production process,” she said.