Gulf | Kuwait
Western and Arab media 'must bridge gap'
Symposium on role of mass media in healing cultural clash highlights importance of free press.
- By Laila Ali, Special to Gulf News
- Published: 21:00 April 1, 2008
Kuwait City: There is a need to open more channels of dialogue between the Western and Arab worlds, to bridge the gap created by the September 11 attacks in the US, concluded a group of media experts from both sides during a seminar held this week.
The participants in the symposium, which concluded on Monday evening and was entitled "The Role of Media in Arab-Western Dialogue", argued that the attacks influenced the performance of mass media in a way that has triggered further tensions between Arabs and the West.
The symposium was organised by the Foundation of Abdul Aziz Saud Al Babtain's Prize for Poetic Creativity.
"Since September 11, the US has been utilising mass media to convince the public that terrorist acts are a form of war," said French media and international relations expert Virginie Sandrock. She stressed the importance of unbiased sources of information to fight preconceived thoughts and images of the Arab world, and added that "the US administration has taken the liberty to impose restrictions on press freedom and the internet under the slogan of a US-led war on terrorism".
On the other hand, Michael Binyon, journalist with British newspaper The Times, dismissed the possibility of governments controlling mass media, adding that journalists are not judges, politicians or solution makers. Rejecting claims that Western media is biased against Islam or is distorting facts, Binyon also opposed accusations that Western media are supportive of Zionism, describing them as "untrue" and "illogical".
"There are numerous media channels... it is irrational to say they are all unbiased," he said.
Gheith Armenazi, former chief of the Arab League mission in London, said media influences decision-makers in the West, saying that such a responsibility given to media is due to a deeply-rooted freedom of speech. 'The Western media manages to dictate to governments. The Arab [media] still has a limited role and influence," he noted.
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