Written by Fatima Hassan. Photo by Sara Al-Ansari.
The World Media Summit (WMS) is off to an excellent start, after the opening ceremony was held last evening.
Sheikh Hamad bin Thamer Al Thani, chairman of the board of Al Jazeera Media Network was the first speaker at the ceremony. He highlighted Al Jazeera’s distinguished media service that provided the public with credible information. “It provides an outlet for the other opinion regardless of denominations and classes,” he said
He spoke of the joint challenge that the world faces today for the safety of journalists. “Journalists have paid with their lives,” he said. “The protection of journalists ought to be on the top of our priorities.”
He also spoke about the fact that the reason the Middle East was chosen to hold the WMS was because it reflects the burgeoning importance of the region in the media limelight. “Al Jazeera network in particular has worked at the heart of the region,” he said. “Cooperation with all the institutions is important.”
Cai Mingzhao, president of Xinhua News Agency and Executive Chairman of WMS addressed the audience next. He commented on how the increasing cooperation between media institutes was adding onto the media development.
He discussed the emergent rise of new media. “Traditional media is (being) challenged,” he said. “New media needs to improve their quality, tailor its content and improve subscriber experience in order to survive fierce market competition.”
In the face of increasing citizen reporting, Cai stressed that professionals remain irreplaceable. “Despite the rise of the new media and individual freedom, majority of the content on the web is still provided by professionals,” he said.
Ending his speech, Cai said that public welfare and social responsibility should be the media’s ultimate goal. “(The media) should play a larger role in global prosperity and encourage the pursuit of excellence in development of traditional news and news media priorities,” he said.
Guy Berger, director for Freedom of Expression and Media Development at UNESCO, was the third and final speaker. In this “cacophonous” media world, he said that journalism is more relevant than ever, as journalists are producing verifiable information.
However, they are now facing unprecedented safety challenges. Hate speech, smear campaigns and harassment are but a few problems that journalists face, Berger said.
“In the past decade of journalists killed, more than 800 people were murdered for reporting news,” Berger said. “And this is only the tip of the iceberg.”
Of all the challenges that have to be overcome, safety for journalists is the more important. “Physical safety is increasingly linked to online safety,” he said. “A systematic framework is necessary and important in conflict and non conflict.”
An International Declaration for Protection of Journalists has been drafted by the International Press Institute and Al-Jazeera in collaboration with other media organizations. This document brings forward four important points for the safety of journalists. Human rights such as freedom of expression, openness, accessibility and multi-stakeholder participation, Berger added, are necessary to ensure a safe working environment for all journalists.
Berger concluded the opening ceremony by ensuring the audience that UNESCO will continue waving the flag for freedom while urging them to respect, protect and promote the media specialists around them.
