Arab broadcasters discuss challenge of internet

Abu Dhabi: The reality that because of the internet ordinary people have the power to deliver news on websites such as YouTube, sometimes reaching a wider audience than traditional broadcasters, is a unique challenge for broadcast journalism.

This was one of the discussion points at the third Arab Broadcasting Forum, currently on in the capital.

The two-day conference, which started on Sunday at Emirates Palace, brings together dozens of broadcast media outlets from around the world.

In a study conducted by Influence, a media analyst company, for the forum, research showed the Arab broadcasting media makes up 16.5 per cent of news broadcasts worldwide.

"It is actually not that surprising, considering that the American media dominate one third of the world's news channels,'" Jean-Francois Dumas, president of Influence, told Gulf News.

In the report presented to the conference, Dumas gave a detailed analysis of the Arab broadcasting world.

Dumas praised the Arabic media for its coverage of Africa.

"We know that 81 per cent of all Africa-related news comes from the Arab media," Dumas said.

He said in 2007 Paris Hilton's incarceration was the 13th most covered story worldwide. "This really tells us how pop culture is getting stronger and stronger," Dumas said.

According to Dumas the media is seen as a business in the West, but as a public service in the Arab world.

As the internet is becoming a multimedia hub, the broadcast news industry needs to step back and question its role, he said.

John Owen, professor of journalism in London and one of the panelists, criticised the absence of in-depth reports. "There are fewer and fewer in-depth reports today. There is an appetite for this kind of journalism," Owen said.

Owen praised Al Jazeera News for sending journalists to areas where most other outlets would never send reporters.