Traditional Media Too Trusted To Disappear Say Leading Editors
Print media will endure, according to a panel discussion hosted by the Sharjah Press Club during the 9th edition of the International Government Communication Forum (IGCF 2020) yesterday called “The Future of News”.
Ahdeya Ahmed Al Sayed, President of the Bahrain Journalists’ Association (BJA) said that people turned to traditional media, over social media, during times of crisis to get their news because it is seen as a more credible and reliable source. Al Sayed added that social media had a positive impact on traditional media but without traditional media, public trust in the sources of information would decline.
“This is not the end for print media, because generations still stick to print publications and traditional media. In crisis, readers refer to traditional media to check the facts, because they believe it to be more reliable than websites,” said Al Sayed.
But she indicated that print media, especially in the Gulf region, has a national responsibility to support national interests, and added that newspapers can thrive again by presenting quality content to the public.
Mr. Khalid Al Malik, the editor-in-chief of Aljazeera newspaper and the chairman of the board of directors of the Saudi Journalists Association said: “When we talk about news, we do not isolate print media, which is the real source of information, but the speed with which digital media delivers the news has led to a decline in readership of traditional media which impacts revenues.”
Al Malik pointed out that digital media professionals do not always possess good journalism skills, therefore governments could provide training workshops to improve their skills as associations and unions will not. Moderated by Kuwaiti journalist Ibrahim Mohamed Al Mulla, the session took place at the Sharjah Press Club’s Pavilion at the Sharjah Expo Centre.
The IGCF 2020 taking place between March 4-5 brought together 64 leading global thinkers, top government officials and communication experts from the Arab region and around the world, in order to highlight the importance of communication in driving the country forward, and how this is integral to building sustainable development and peace in the modern economy.
