By Habib Toumi, Bahrain Bureau Chief
Published 15:00 29 April 2010
Despite several advances boosted by local and foreign organisations, online journalism in the Arab world still has many hurdles to clear to reach a population traditionally linked with print media.
Manama: Online and multi-language productions should be the new focus of the Arab media, media specialists have agreed.
“The Arab media should be more creative and should invest heavily in the use of new technology and the Internet while stressing the drive to disseminate digital content,” the Arab Media Forum recommended at the end of three days of debates in Kuwait City.
Despite several advances boosted by local and foreign organisations, online journalism in the Arab world still has many hurdles to clear to reach a population traditionally linked with print media.
“We need to enhance online journalism to be able to communicate with people from other areas. The Arab media institutions should merge information production, communication technology and electronic media production,” the forum said. “Media research centres and academics in the Arab world should conduct studies on ways to transfer from the traditional media to online media.”
Arabs should also be more active in reaching out to non-Arab nations, the forum recommended.
“We need to produce material in various languages to boost our contacts with the non-Arabic speaking world,” the forum said. “We have noted that several countries have launched programmes in Arabic to communicate with Arabs.”
Turkey this month became the latest of non-Arab nations to launch an Arabic-speaking television channels accessible to more than 300 million viewers in 22 countries in Asia, the Middle-East, North Africa and beyond. France 24 and China's state television, CCTV, last year launched Arabic news channels.
The Arab forum also recommended that Arab media organizations produce materials dedicated to youth and children.
Published 15:00 29 April 2010
Despite several advances boosted by local and foreign organisations, online journalism in the Arab world still has many hurdles to clear to reach a population traditionally linked with print media.
Manama: Online and multi-language productions should be the new focus of the Arab media, media specialists have agreed.
“The Arab media should be more creative and should invest heavily in the use of new technology and the Internet while stressing the drive to disseminate digital content,” the Arab Media Forum recommended at the end of three days of debates in Kuwait City.
Despite several advances boosted by local and foreign organisations, online journalism in the Arab world still has many hurdles to clear to reach a population traditionally linked with print media.
“We need to enhance online journalism to be able to communicate with people from other areas. The Arab media institutions should merge information production, communication technology and electronic media production,” the forum said. “Media research centres and academics in the Arab world should conduct studies on ways to transfer from the traditional media to online media.”
Arabs should also be more active in reaching out to non-Arab nations, the forum recommended.
“We need to produce material in various languages to boost our contacts with the non-Arabic speaking world,” the forum said. “We have noted that several countries have launched programmes in Arabic to communicate with Arabs.”
Turkey this month became the latest of non-Arab nations to launch an Arabic-speaking television channels accessible to more than 300 million viewers in 22 countries in Asia, the Middle-East, North Africa and beyond. France 24 and China's state television, CCTV, last year launched Arabic news channels.
The Arab forum also recommended that Arab media organizations produce materials dedicated to youth and children.
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