Panelists at AMF 2009 focus on new media's dramatic impact on information generation

They meet the expectations of individuals through what is known as 'user-generated content', pointed out Hossam Al Sokkari, Chairman of BBC Arabic.

Al Sokkari's comments came on the first day of the Arab Media Forum 2009, which is being held under the patronage of of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. The two-day event has brought together over 1,000 eminent media personalities, including 57 speakers, 11 moderators, and 300 foreign participants from abroad and 600 from the UAE.

Moderated by Hossam Al Sokkari, Chairman, BBC Arabic, the speakers at the roundtable titled 'The New Media: New Platforms that Change the Scene', included Ayman Al Sayyad, Editor in Chief, Wajhat Nazr magazine, Egypt; Ammar Bakar, Head of the New Media section, MBC Group; Sultan Al Bazie, CEO, Attariq Communication, Saudi Arabia; Issam Hamoud, Blogger, Algeria, and Husni Khuffash, Country Business Manager, Google, UAE.

The first half of the session was devoted to examining three Arab experiences in the field of alternative media - Blog, You-Tube, and the web newspaper Sabaqa'.

With the Internet becoming the source of instant information for a large number of Arab youth, who consider the space an ideal forum for expressing their views unlike traditional media outlets, the panelists debated whether journalistic codes of ethics must emerge from governments or media organizations. Discussions also focused on the extent of professionalism and objectivity in Internet sites and their ability to become a credible source of information.

On the subject of new media presence in the Arab World, Ayman Al Sayyad said:

"As everything develops, media also develops. The scientist Darwin stated that not all species are doomed to become extinct but only those that are not able to cope with the evolution process. Therefore, all media should strive to stay updated and find ways to stay relevant in the minds of its consumers."

He added Facebook and other social networking sites play an important role in electronic communication as they allows users to freely interact and transmit information.

Al Sayyad pointed out: "Even the mobile phone can become a means of transmitting information through the transfer of files, pictures, and other communications. The transmitter becomes the person who decides which message he wants to transmit and through which communication tool."

The Arab Media Forum 2009, held under the slogan 'Arab Media: Weathering a Period of Change and Crisis', included a number of workshops and sessions, featuring eminent experts who debated some of the most vital issues that concern the regional media in the prevailing circumstances.