Sharjah Ramadan Majlis: Spotlight on Arab Media’s Role in Tackling Coronavirus

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• UAE’S EFFORTS TO CONFRONT GLOBAL PANDEMIC COME IN FOR PRAISE
• LEADING ARAB MEDIA FIGURES DEBATE ‘MEDIA MECHANISMS IN CRISES’

 

The second Sharjah Ramadan Majlis, held Tuesday night (May 5) on the Instagram lauded the measures taken by the United Arab Emirates to take on the Coronavirus pandemic, stressing the vital role of the media during crises in disseminating accurate information and confronting rumours and fake news.

Leading Arab media figures Khaled Al Zadjali from Oman and Lamees Al Hadidi from Egypt took part in the session titled ‘Mechanisms of Media Interaction in Crises.’ The discussion was moderated by Emirati television host Ahmed Sultan from the Sharjah Broadcasting Authority.  The 9^th edition of Sharjah Ramadan Majlis is being hosted by the Sharjah Press Club, a subsidiary of Sharjah Government Media Bureau. 

The speakers recalled the historical Arab experience and competence in dealing with such global epidemics and crises. They also stressed on the critical role and responsibility of the media in tackling such crises by supporting the national efforts. The media needs to constantly promote public awareness in times of crises and keeping people informed with transparency and credibility, argued the speakers.

Transparency in times of crises

Veteran journalist Khaled Al Zadjali emphasised the responsibility of society members in verifying information and not circulating rumours. He lauded the general public awareness across the Gulf Cooperation Council countries and their ability to distinguish between facts and fiction. This, he added, is due to the transparency of GCC governments in dealing with emergencies and providing people with facts and information first-hand, which is essential to kill rumours and fake news.

Al Zadjali emphasised the importance of awareness campaigns on social media, pointing out to the many such successful campaigns launched by government agencies thanks to the speed at which the message reaches the target audience on social media.    

Al-Zadjali said that the Covid-19 represents an unprecedented challenge for humanity and has forced everyone to act to save themselves. It has prompted governments to take immediate measures to confront the pandemic and has imposed many changes on individual lifestyles. The media can play a healthy role in calming and reassuring individuals and to deal with the epidemic with knowledge and responsibility, he added.

Interest in health media

Egyptian journalist Lamees Al Hadidi said that the global pandemic has triggered massive interest in health media. She noted that the global pandemic is neutralising the first line of defence against disease -- doctors and medical personnel.  The healthcare professionals are now in the limelight and their role is being acknowledged in fighting disease and maintaining the health and safety of community members.

She pointed to the responsibility of the media to provide individuals with accurate information and updates and offer clear answers and details of everything related to the emerging crisis. She called for providing unified content, transparency and credibility to check and eliminate the spread of rumours and fake news.

Al Hadidi lauded the Arab experience of dealing with pandemics such as these attributing it to the healthy interaction and relationship of Arab leaders and governments with their societies. .

She called for presenting the information and updates about challenges such as these in a smooth and engaging manner.

As has been its tradition over the years, the Sharjah Ramadan Majlis will tackle various social issues and topics this holy month through its Instagram account.  This year, the Ramadan Majlis will involve a number of contests offering attractive cash prizes for the participants.