Arab Media Forum 2008 says slow onset of technology impedes progress of media in Maghreb Region

A workshop held on 'Maghreb Journalists Facing New Technology Challenges' was moderated by Khadija Ben Ganna, Anchor from Al Jazeerah TV, and drew the participation of Rashid Khashana, Editor-in-Chief of Al Mawqif newspaper, Tunisia; Issam Hamoud, a blogger from Algeria; Abdullah Al Bakkali, Editor-in-Chief, Al Alam newspaper, Morocco; Mohammed Salim Syedi Ahmed, Editor-in-Chief, Al Wahdawi newspaper, Mauritania; and Ashur Al Tellesi, Head of Journalists Association, Libya.

Ben Ganna opened the discussion questioning the ability of Maghrebi journalists to embrace and utilize new technologies.

In the context, she also pointed out the urgent need for minimizing government intervention in the media to facilitate a functional atmosphere conducive for responsible journalism.

Ashur Al Tellesi drew attention to the need for more investments in the media sector, which comparatively receives less support than any other industry.

He also touched on the decline of the Arabic language in general, and on the issues of credibility in the media.

Abdullah Al Bakkali spoke about the connection between the media and political establishments and raised concerns about the sector being used for personal interest.

Drawing attention to the gap between the need and reality, Al Bakkali said the fact that there were only 10,000 journalists to serve a population of 83 million was ample testimony to the deplorable state of affairs.

Muhammed Salim Syedi Ahmad, while speaking on issues connected to media and digitization, asserted it was impossible to retain the independence of the media as long as the industry is unprepared to meet the challenges posed by new technologies.

Echoing similar sentiments, Issam Hamoud focused on the relative freedom that mark the digital space.

He said blogs enjoyed far more credibility than other media and added the number of bloggers was constantly on the rise in Algeria and across the globe, with nearly 120,000 people getting habituated to the service each day.

Rashid Khashana placed his presentation in perspective by drawing attention to three important factors that are crucial to an understanding of the media in the Maghreb: economic potential, proximity to Europe and the number of internet users among the educated segments.

Inspite of these encouraging factors, he said, the advent of technology has been rather slow and reluctant.

"An ideal IT-oriented society must focus on educational reforms, developmental potentials and the removal of road blocks such as intellectual censorship and governmental monitoring of content," he pointed out.

All the speakers emphasized on the need for better mutual cooperation and coordination among various media organizations in the Arab world to overcome the new challenges posed by technology.

'Bridging Arab Media Through Technology', the theme for the seventh edition of the forum, has drawn the participation of over 500 local, regional and international media professionals.

Over 50 intellectuals and industry experts have convened in Dubai for the annual forum to hold in-depth discussions on the impact of technology within the regional media industry.