Middle East societies need to develop safeguards against media manipulation, says DTMFZ Chief

"Time and time again, we have seen the media is regulated by political agendas, intentionally or otherwise," said bin Byat at the on going World Economic Forum in Jordan, a summit that brings together the top political and economic figures, regional and international. He was participating in a special session on Media as a partner in reforms: Shaping perceptions.

"The stronger media players will always claim that they are untouched by any sort of agenda. But that is not the case. And being the leaders, they will use their most powerful medium to enforce or inject the political agendas they stand for.

"In such a scenario, the best way for people to come up with their own judgements is to be exposed to opposite views from the media. There is a lot of scope for bipolar, or even multiple, views coming through from the media."

Over the last three years, the Middle East has seen a surfeit of activity on the media front, primed by the development of cutting edge technologies and demand for societies they are a part of. A number of new satellite channels, both Arabic and others, have come to the fore as have magazines and Web sites, making dissemination of information that much easier.

According to bin Byat, there is comfort in the knowledge that information is coming through different avenues. "Unless thus exposed to varying perspectives, the public will eventually come to realize that existing media players are biased and that their views are being manipulated," he said. "This will only fuel uncertainty and distrust of the media, which is not what the Middle East requires at that moment.

"With all the world's attention focused on the region, our media should offer its views not to a limited audience, but to the widest possible base. Some of the views will be colored, but if as many views come forth as there are issues, the reader or viewer can choose from what he or she sees right.

"This is what we have tried to ensure at Dubai Media City, be it for a broadcaster or publisher. We offer the best platform for them to make themselves heard or seen. It is then left to the choice of the markets to decide what they want."

"Individuals in developed and Third World Countries alike should recognize the existence of biased organizations and should follow both sides of the biases to reach an unbiased view of their own. This, to me, represents the best solution in a highly diffused scenario."

In a highly politicized environment, Bin Byat suggests that celebrities should not allow themselves to be used as bait for political agendas of the stronger parties.

"As important as the public, I see academic institutions taking on a prime role in developing the mindsets of the future generations. They need to educate students in the power of media, educate them in how that could change their lives, and teach them how they can get unbiased views from a highly biased media. Our region is opening up, hosting many cultures and religions in our lands.

"The success of the unbiased system is closely related with Freedom of Speech. The various satellite channels are already participating in political debates on regional and international issues."

"To foster the same in national and local issues would encourage the development of an unbiased or at best neutral media system," bin Byat concluded.