LOC22:41
19:41 GMT
Side of the opening of the 40th conference of the Federation of Arab News Agencies (FANA) General Assembly
(With photos)
MANAMA, Dec 26 (KUNA) -- Bahraini State Minister for Information Affairs
Sameera Rajab said here Wednesday Arab news agencies are facing future
challenges under fierce competition from various mass media and significant
media shifts on both regional and international arenas.
Addressing the 40th conference of the Federation of Arab News Agencies
(FANA) General Assembly, the minister said that the appearance of thousands of
"popular news agencies" on the Internet and social media networks has put
official news agencies, mainly international ones, in embarrassing situations
as they have fallen in the trap of fast dissemination of news at the expense
of precision, objectivity and professionalism.
She underlined the significance of the conference in exchanging views and
boosting cooperation among the Arab news agencies amid important regional and
international changes witnessed by the media and communication sector.
The minister called on Arab news agencies to adopt a new approach based on
providing the community with news and rectifying the path through objectivity
in dealing with news and responding to fabrications.
For his part, FANA Chairman Ahmad Al-Buainein said the conference came at a
time when major events and wide changes are taking place in the Arab region.
On the FANA, he said it had managed to work effectively over the recent
period in spite of impediments and problems haunting the federation.
But, he urged FANA member states to pay their financial obligations to the
federation in order to be able to continue working for the interest of all
Arab news agencies. (end)
nq.mt
KUNA 262241 Dec 12NNNN