Dubai: All talk about the imminent death of print is just that — talk — which may be irrelevant for years to come. So said media experts at the Middle East’s first digital media awards here on Wednesday night where Gulf News and its parent company Al Nisr Publishing bagged six honours for its online platforms.
The event, organised by the WAN-IFRA, a global association of news organisations, saw numerous digital media awards being handed over to media groups from the region for the first time.
Gulf News brought home one gold, two silver, three bronze out of the dozens handed out in several categories.
Welcoming the digital media awards, Abdul Hamid Ahmad, Editor-in-Chief and Executive Director Publications, Al Nisr Publishing LLC, said: “Gulf News has always been at the forefront of digital innovation by offering our readers a wide variety of digital products as well as introducing new techniques in storytelling. Our interactive projects, such as the exclusive look inside US prisons at Guantanamo Bay, an enterprise on Ramadan and an in-depth multimedia on Occupied Jerusalem, are only a few examples of such a pioneering approach.”
The emphasis for Gulf News, Ahmad said, was always on reader satisfaction and offering the best possible quality of editorial coverage across all publishing platforms.
“Even for our regular news coverage, we always enhance our digital offerings by including elements such as videos and interactive graphics,” said Ahmad. “Our web-only video newscast, along with news stories and guides produced exclusively for our digital platforms, enrich the experience of our readers and are a testimony to our efforts in that direction,” he added.
@gulf_news @GNTECHAE Represent!! pic.twitter.com/CvUb6hJVlL— Gulf News - #GNTECH (@GNTECHAE) February 24, 2016
“Our digital media initiatives has always been part of what we offer to our audiences. The awards reflect the trust our readership have put in us as their leading sources of not only news and views but also the fun experience we try to build around all platforms,” Mohammed Almezel, Gulf News Managing Editor said. “We are proud that this experience is being recognised by the industry and we promise our readers that we will take those awards as an incentive to take our offering to the next level,” he added.
Leading media executives and academics point to unmatched credibility that newspapers command, against the free-for-all in social media platforms.
Michael Golden, Vice President of New York Times Co., who led the award-giving ceremony on Wednesday night, said his company’s focus on digital media is less about print’s perceived lack of longevity and more about enhancing readers’ experience across all platforms. “For us, print is incredibly important,” said Golden in Dubai.
Asked whether digital will eventually kill print, Golden echoed Microsoft founder Bill Gates’ earlier comment: “We tend to overestimate the short-term (effect of new media) and underestimate the long-term.”
“It (print) will be important in the near future, especially in this market (Middle East). But 40 to 50 years from now, I’m not so sure.”
Other experts said newspapers sell not just content, but convenience; not just news but also ways to improve people’s lives.
Mechthild Schimpf, WAN-IFRA director for Middle East, said: “We think printed news is not going away for many years to come, just as books have never really become obsolete.”
WAN-IFRA, a non-profit with a 110-year history based in Germany and France, started the digital media awards in Asia in 2010, brought it to Europe in 2011 and then to Latin America in 2015.
“The award is a quality and innovation-oriented platform that recognises pioneering work to help bring out the best in the digital media arena in this region.”
Bradley Freeman, Associate professor of media at the American University in Dubai who was at the event, said though the award recognises the value of digital media, any discussion about the death of traditional media is irrelevant.
“It’s still about compelling content — as well as convergence,” said Freeman, “not about the survival of particular mediums per se. We’re seeing all the mediums are trying to find their way into the digital world. Print media is historically very good at archiving and they have the credibility.”
WAN-IFRA Middle East Digital Media Awards
1st Place — Best New Product (GNtech.ae)
2nd Place — Best use of online Video
2nd Place — Best Digital Advertising Campaign (Ramadan, A time to reflect, reference guide)
3rd Place — Best News Website
3rd Place — Best Digital Advertising Campaign (“Behind the Wire: An interactive tour of Guantanamo Prison”)
3rd Place — Best use of online Video
