AMMAN — The General Secretariat of the League of
Arab States’ Media and Communication Sector Tuesday started three days of meetings
during which participants will discuss the role of the media in confronting
extremism and terrorism.
اضافة اعلان
Organized under
the auspices of
Minister of State for Media Affairs Faisal Al-Shboul, the event
brings together the Administration of the Technical Secretariat of the Council
of Arab Information Ministers and the Arab Commission for Satellite
Broadcasting.
Addressing the
attendees, Shboul stressed the importance of Arab efforts, coordination and
cooperation in facing the issues and challenges that have recently arisen in
the media and communication sector, in order to protect the media and Arab
societies from the danger of terrorism.
He said that
Jordan is fighting terrorism by striving to change the mindset of the youth
through changes in school curricula and developing the youths’ intellectual
capacity.
The greatest
danger comes from the use of social media to spread false news and rumors, he
said.
Shboul also
stressed that media freedom is guaranteed and a right for all media
professionals, provided they work professionally and ethically, without
resorting to defamation and insults.
Media and
communication technology have become accessible to most everyone, the minister
said, urging the participating delegations to address ethical and legal
controls and regulations, at Arab level.
Assistant
secretary-general and head of the media and communication sector at the Arab
League, Ambassador
Ahmed Rashid Khattabi, thanked Jordan and Shboul for hosting
“these important meetings”, which, “through the diversity and
comprehensiveness of their multidimensional issues”, should help “member
states, with the active participation of organizations and unions involved in
the media under the umbrella of the Arab League, to come up with practical and
creative recommendations to enrich the Arab media system, and push collective
efforts aimed at modernizing the joint Arab media strategy to combat terrorism
and at tightening the implementation mechanisms”.
Khattabi urged a
close look at the Jordanian experience in the field of media education, “based
on ... promoting sound media and professional concepts, qualifying the younger
generations, and immunizing them against extremist tendencies and behaviors”.
The meetings,
which will end on Thursday, are slated to discuss three issues. One is the role
of the Arab media in confronting extremism and terrorism, another the effects
of electronic media and electronic games on societies and generations, and
third, the dangers electronic media and games pose to children and young
adults.
Jordan’s hosting
of these meetings comes within the framework of supporting Arab efforts aimed
at addressing important common media issues as part of broader efforts to
advance the process of joint Arab action.
Representatives
from various Arab countries, a number of officials in the media and
communication sector from the Arab League, and representatives of Arab federations
and bodies concerned with media and communication affairs take part in the
event.
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