Abu Dhabi: The media is one of the most powerful occupations in any country across the world and should be able to control and supervise the development process of a nation, said a senior official.
Turki Bin Abdullah Al Dakheel, the chairman of the Al Misbar Studies and Research Centre in the UAE, was speaking on the role of the media in a country's developmental progress.
In the Arab world, however, the media is mostly asked to commercialise events and people, and often neglects failures of certain policies and authorities, said Al Dakheel said.
"[The] media is the architect of a community and should be able to include public opinions and contributions since the only tool for getting an individuals voice heard is through the media.
"Over 70 per cent of coverage by the media goes towards promoting democracy and supporting international and local institutes, which does help in a country's development process but is not enough," said Al Dakheel.
"Journalists are not required to highlight the success or events attended by leaders, prominent figures and celebrities only, but need to give equal opportunities to everyone in society so that they can help in the countries development process," he said.
The role of multi-dimensional media, Al Dakheel added, is to shift from an industrial community to a knowledge community, while focusing on globalisation at an economic level in shaping world doctrines.
"We should prioritise and put ourselves in the place of a reader and put what's mostly important in our first paragraphs in a paper, and not what would benefit the organization instead," concluded Al Dakheel.
