By Farah Al-Faraj
BEIRUT, March 19 (KUNA) -- The Lebanese capital will host on March 20-21 (tomorrow) an international conference on the role of media in cultural dialogue with the event being organized by the Lebanon's National News Agency (NNA).
Director of NNA, Laura Suleiman told KUNA that the conference, which will witness the participation of several states including Kuwait, will focus on spreading notions of peace and harmony amongst people.
Cultural diversity will be one of the main themes of the event, she said, adding that it was important to hold such conferences during the current dire situation in the region.
Suleiman said that countering extremism and radical ideologies was an important step that media outlets should carry out, noting that Arab media bodies have a responsibility to refute extremists' claims whether on paper, video, the airwaves, or social media.
Meanwhile, the Lebanese media official took the chance to laud the efforts by the Chairman and Director General of KUNA Sheikh Mubarak Al-Duaij Al-Ibrahim Al-Sabah in his capacity as President of the Federation of Arab News Agencies (FANA), affirming that the Kuwaiti media official played a big role in unifying the Arab media vision.
On his part, media advisor at the Lebanese Information Ministry Antoine Eid stressed the importance of the upcoming conference in spreading messages of hope for the future, which will hopefully counter ideas for destruction and mayhem.
Media plays an integral role beyond what it was perceived as an entrainment facade, said the official who hoped that the conference would provide a true direction for media outlets in the region. (end) ff.gta