UAE | General
Internet is not a threat to any media says head of BBC Arabic
The launch of BBC Arabic in March brought a new credible voice to the region and has become one of the leading outlets in the Middle East to rely on citizen journalists.
- By Marten Youssef, Staff Reporter
- Published: 12:56 May 5, 2008
Abu Dhabi: The launch of BBC Arabic in March brought a new credible voice to the region and has become one of the leading outlets in the Middle East to rely on citizen journalists.
"I have never supported the argument that the internet is a threat to any media," said Hosam Al Sokkari, head of the BBC Arabic. "The public will continue to read and watch. Broadcasters will continue to broadcast. The challenge is how the media can use the internet as a platform for the dissemination of news," Al Sokkari said at the second day of the Arab Broadcast Forum being held in Abu Dhabi on Monday.
"The accessibility of the internet and a video phone is enough today to be the leading evidence of a breaking story. Why many media outlets have resisted relying on user-generated content?" asked Al Sokkari, who believes that citizen journalists can be an asset to the media.
"We cannot be in every place at once. We have limited resources. So we engage with citizens and only use their content after verifying it... All I need is the clip. We work with our ground reporters to confirm this and then we run with it. Otherwise the clip would be lost in (cyberspace)."
With access to virtually every news agency in the world through the internet, the public faces the challenge of having contradictory reports. "My hope is to empower our viewers to challenge what they hear and see," Al Sokkari said.
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