Arab satellite jungle 'fuels further regional divisions'

Dubai: The uncontrolled Arab satellite "jungle" poses a danger and fuels further divisions in the Arab world.

This sentiment was voiced on Thursday at a forum discussing the role of media in the Arab world. A symposium intended to discuss the role of the media in promoting democracy in the region quickly deviated to discussions about the agendas of some of the more than 300 Arabic satellite channels available.

The discussion formed part of the Forum for the Future, aimed at promoting development and democracy. Panelists and the audience directed heavy criticism to the those funding some channels which they accused of inciting sectarian strife, extremism and immoral behaviour. A participant from Egypt noted that many of the channels in question are funded by those affiliated with Gulf and Arab governments.

"What scares me more than censorship today, are the satellite channels in the Arab world," said Dr. Ali Al Shuaibi, a media expert from the UAE. "Most of these channels are making a loss. That begs the question: How do these channels function?"

A Tunisian member of the audience said the source of funding of Arab satellite channels should be demanded as a right in line with media ethics.

Al Shuaibi also criticised the US controlled Arabic language Radio Sawa and the Al Hurra news channel. "I was even told by an official from [the stations] once that the objective was to create a new generation of Arabs that thought differently," he said.

An American from the floor wanted to know why regional governments would not give more freedom to terrestrial channels to serve as alternatives to the satellite channels that are often on the receiving end of heavy government criticism.

Dr. Aisha Al Nuaimi of UAE University said regional media had seen transformation over the past few years in censorship.

The control of media by the authorities has moved from direct control to "soft control", she said, stressing the need to break the ties between media and governments, "all of which serve the interest of the governments".