Media compared to shivering surgeon with blade

Shaikh Sultan opens forum

Media in the Arab world is going through a critical phase and could be as dangerous as a shivering surgeon holding a blade, His Highness Dr Shaikh Sultan Bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, Member of Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, said at the International Government Communication Forum on Sunday.

Dr Shaikh Sultan was making the keynote address at the opening ceremony of the event.

"The Arab world is going through a difficult period," he said. "The media profession in such a difficult phase can be just as dangerous as a doctor who is holding a blade shivering while in surgery. They must be ethical and make sure of their sources are accurate."

"Media professionals also have their rights," Dr Shaikh Sultan said. "They have the right to investigate, the right to not disclose their sources... As for TV broadcasters, they should not broadcast clips taken or edited externally. They should not broadcast lies and hatred: it is important to bring back humanity for people."

The forum brings together more than 25 regional and international professionals from the government, private and media sector, with 2,000 expected to attend.

Gorbachev: Ukraine failed to act

During his address, Mikhail Gorbachev, the last president of the Soviet Union, told the forum: “While the 20th century was the most cruel and bloodiest in mankind, we are now living in an independent world but we don’t know how to live in it. So, we are seeing the consequences and they are becoming dangerous.”

Gorbachev, who is the guest of honour at the forum, added: “In this global and developing world, developing countries are among the losers than winners… We have seen scenarios of these difficulties in such as Egypt and Syria.”

On Ukraine, Gorbachev said: “You are expecting me to give an assessment of what happened, which I can’t give right now. But I can say that what is happening in Ukraine is the result of failure of the government to act democratically and resolve the problem with their people.”

Gargash: No magic wand for bad press

Dr AnwarMohammad Gargash, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Minister of State for Federal National Council Affairs, told the forum that there was “no magic wand” to make episodes of negative press and reputation disappear.

UAE government officials need to improve communication with public and press on issues, Gargash said, citing the example of labour issues in the country as “work in progress” as expectations keep rising.

He said the UAE is “plugged in” to twitter, which is a “very useful tool to get the vibe of what’s going on". At the same time, he warned, that “of course there are rumours" at times, which should be avoided.