22nd Arab Media Forum explores digital transformation, political awareness, and media innovation

The 22nd Arab Media Forum (AMF), held under the umbrella of the Arab Media Summit, concluded today after a series of enriching sessions addressing key issues and trends shaping the Arab media landscape. On its last day, the forum featured diverse discussions, including the role of advanced technologies in digital transformation, the importance of political awareness among Arab youth, and the evolving dynamics of global media partnerships.

Experts also examined the complexities of writing Arabic novels, juxtaposed media and historical narratives, and analysed the challenges of covering the economy. The forum also highlighted the critical role of fact-checking in conflict reporting and celebrated influential social media personalities who are making a significant impact in humanitarian and social work.

In a session titled ‘Advanced Technologies Accelerating Digital Transformation’, Jassim Al Awadi, Chief ICT Officer at du, emphasised that the UAE leadership has consistently embraced digital transformation, developing a robust digital infrastructure that adapts to technological advancements. He highlighted that strong infrastructure is crucial for digital transformation. While many countries were initially sceptical about adopting AI, the UAE government has fully embraced the technology across various spheres of life, positioning the UAE at the forefront of this domain. He also noted that fear often accompanies technological advancement, as seen with AI today and even during the Industrial Revolution that saw people fearing they would lose their jobs to machines. While some jobs may be phased out, many new positions, such as Chief AI Officer, a role announced earlier by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, will be created.

In another session titled ‘Arab Youth & Political Awareness’, Dr. Ali Al-Nuaimi, Chairman of the Defence, Interior, and Foreign Affairs Committee of the Federal National Council, and Ahmed Al Moslemani, President of the Cairo Center for Strategic Studies, examined the political landscape in the Arab region. The panellists emphasised that political awareness requires critical thinking and emotional control.
They noted that genuine political activity is often missing from the news due to the double standards prevalent in global affairs. They stressed that the current situation in Gaza necessitates more solidarity rather than backlash. Additionally, they highlighted the issue of fake news, which significantly hinders the development of political awareness.

In the ‘Global Media Partnerships’ session, Tamim Faris, Head of Disney+ MENA, discussed the increasing competitiveness in the Middle East and North Africa region’s digital media landscape. He highlighted that, despite a population of 500 million and 70 million households, only a small percentage are subscribed to streaming services. Disney+ is actively working to meet the diverse needs of its audience across different countries in the region. Faris noted that the first Disney Castle was established in Riyadh, and they have brought Disney's Lion King to the UAE, with many more plans for the region in the pipeline.

Moving to literary pursuits, another session discussed the topic of ‘Arab Novels on the Global Stage’. Saudi author and novelist Osama Al Muslim discussed the genre of Arabic fantasia, or imaginative fiction. He remarked that such a genre cannot be effectively portrayed in just 200 to 300 pages but requires more than 1,000 pages to do it justice. Al Muslim noted that this type of writing is complex and demanding, which is why many novelists tend to avoid it. He spoked about the celebrated collection of stories ‘1001 Nights’ (also known as “Arabian Nights”) as an example of rich, imaginative, and fantastical tales filled with magical elements, adventurous plots, and mythical creatures, embodying the essence of fantasy literature. He also mentioned that this genre targets a specific audience.

In a session titled 'Media & the Dialogue of Civilisations’, the discussion focused on novels with historical elements and whether novelists are assuming the role of historians. Dr. Osama El Shazly, a novelist, discussed this topic with a philosophy and Islamic history researcher Dr. Rashid Al-Khayun, who moderated the session. He explained that while historians present and analyse history, novels with historical elements offer a window to revisit the past. Dr. Osama said that such novels incorporate fictional elements not to alter history, but to create a background where readers can feel closer to the characters and relate to them. He also highlighted that, as an author who includes historical elements in his novels, he extensively reads history to draw inspiration for his writing.

In another session titled 'Media & Economy ... Beyond Crisis', speakers discussed economic transformations in the region and developments in the economic media landscape. Mohammed Burhan, CEO of CNBC Arabia, and Raed Barqawi, Editor in Chief of Al Khaleej, shared their insights on the challenges of appealing to a mass audience with economic content, especially as global political issues gain prominence, and whether the overall interest in such content is limited to the investors and businessmen. The session was moderated by Nadine Hani, TV Presenter Al Arabiya. The session highlighted the challenges of economic media coverage, particularly the shortage of expertise and training among those capable of understanding and writing about the economy. This lack of specialists hampers effective reporting in the field.

In a session titled 'Covering Conflicts: Digital vs Traditional', panellists explored the role of news outlets in implementing strict fact-checking processes before sharing videos posted on social media. They also discussed how traditional and digital media can complement each other.

The session, moderated by Nadine Khamash, TV Presenter, Al Arabiya, featured author and columnist Diaa Rashwan, Nayla Tueni, CEO of Annahar News Corporation and Palestinian correspondent Plestia Alaqad who joined via a video call. Tueni discussed how Annahar has adapted to evolving media landscapes by launching an electronic website 14 years ago. She said that Annahar has a dedicated fact-checking team to verify video sources and ensure copyright compliance before sharing content with the public.

Rashwan, on the other hand, expressed the view that traditional media remains relevant, noting that digital media often disseminates content originally produced by traditional outlets. He added that social media provides television with real-time events, enriching traditional media. While traditional media operates under established rules and policies, digital media functions more freely, he noted. Alaqad shared with the audience how her videos featuring the daily realities in Gaza quickly gained international attention.

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