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The Layalina Review

VOL. V NO. 11, May 08-May 21, 2009

Media Takes Proactive Role in Middle East

In recent years, the media industry has transitioned from a largely state-controlled project into “a number of bold and ambitious private media initiatives, catering to a young, more aware and diverse audience,” writes the Khaleej Times. Consequently, these “competent and professional” media institutions are able to challenge attacks by Western media by “presenting the real picture before the world” due to their increased freedom and flexibility even during the economic crisis.

Networks such as Al-Jazeera, Al-Arabiya, Abu Dhabi TV and English-language publications are published throughout the Middle East. The Khaleej Times cites an A.T. Kearney study which indicates that the pan-Arab media industry is growing at an average rate of 19% per year, faster than the general economy or its Western counterparts. “The appeal of the sector to investors is expected to continue to grow as Middle East consumers spend more disposable income on [less-regulated] media and entertainment.”

According to Dr. Dirk Buchta, a managing director of A.T. Kearney, the media industry allows nations “to diversify economies and stimulate entrepreneurship, leading to small and medium sized companies providing local job opportunities and long-term sustainability and stability for the region.” Its estimated cost was about $10 billion in 2007, he added.

Speaking at the Arab Media Forum, investigative journalist Seymour Hersh stressed the importance of Arab media and its relationship with Western media. According to Emirates Business 24/7, Hersh noted, “The Arab media are growing better, and [the West] is following the Arab world better.”

Neil Hicks, writing for The Huffington Post, stressed the role of the media in expanding democracy and human rights promotion in the region, in line with the goals of President Obama, who made “a point of addressing an Arabic speaking audience directly in an early interview” with Al-Arabiya.

The process, according to Hicks, began under former President George W. Bush. “Under concerted and sustained US pressure between 2003 and 2005, despite all the adverse circumstances of the time, repressive Arab governments, including Egypt, made important concessions that benefited and emboldened local activists.” Such processes resulted in more independent newspapers and an emboldened human rights community in various nations.

Nonetheless, “we have a long way to go before the media can get the genuine freedom the media enjoys in [the Western world]. This is essential if governments and people in the region want the media to discharge its social duties and responsibilities effectively,” concludes the Khaleej Times. “A genuinely free media would only help the society it serves rather than undermine it.”

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