Arab media: the reality is bleak

The world has become like a small village since the launch of communications  and satellite television revolution in the light of many developments in technology noting  that   the  information is floating around our planet within a few seconds, and from here  the role of media was emerged  as a tool to guide  public policy, and has become the authority itself (the fourth estate), and in spite of the numerous Arab satellite channels and the multiplicity of newspapers and magazines and the different Titles but Arab media  is  still  an authoritarian media  linked to the  regime and the authority , and the authorities  are  in support of many of them to serve the purposes and requirements of  its sustainability and survival, and this has actually led to a loss of confidence between the media and the public in many cases.
In spite of the steady development of the means of modern media, and the variety of methods, but the Arab media is still a traditional  media  subject to the views and whims of authority  and personal interests, and does not represent only itself  or a certain class of society, and here lies the danger as a result of the absence of professionalism   and the dominance of government agencies on the information tools, until  the Arab peoples  became distrustful with   its institutions of media, as a result of the linkage of this  institutions  to   the foreign agenda   or internal censorship, and  these institutions  of media whether  they were TV stations or newspapers, or the means of social communication   had become  the kitchen of news and trends, ignoring  professional foundations, and the rules of media work  for a few dollars or for political gains and in our Arab countries infested  with such institutions, and satellite TV,  for example  and not exclusively , the sectarian stations that flared sectarian conflict  are considered of the most dangerous of these means, and here we mention that these channels were present, but its activity became clear dramatically after the entry of US troops to Iraq in 2003 and the spread of channels and stations of the Iranian state, which no one disagree for its role in inciting violence and hatred and sectarianism, and we saw how the role of these stations  was grown   after the revolution in Syria  , which  the media has become  one of the main players and  dangerous along with machine of destruction and lethal , and here we  do not confine the issue in Iraq, but now most Arab countries  are  embracing such channels.
The wind of  the  so-called (the Arab Spring) , has been a turning point  in the work of the Arab media , in terms that absent facts and dark corners were disclosed    which  remained  hidden for decades  in  corridors of  media, and its rules of procedure,  and here ,we will tackle   for example  Some excerpts from the deal of  these institutions with some of the important issues in the region:
– the Palestinian issue: no any Arab citizen  disagree on the fact that the Palestinian issue being  central and the most important ones  to Arab issues  since many decades, which is the essence of the crises that afflict the region as a whole, however,  the Arab citizen is surprised  of the way of   tackling   this issue by Arab media noting that  it was  neglected and considered   just an inevitable conflict  which can not be dealt with on a regular basis, but now news of the Palestinian case   are     neglected  that sometimes put to fill the time specified for  broadcast , even the terminology and nomenclature were  not spared from distortion and  change , and here we mention the use of words such as (dead or martyr, and a suicide or fedayee , attack or aggression, etc ..) These are all indicators on the role of media in doing things on its plan and whim.
– the conflict in Syria: Here we contemplate  of  the destruction and devastation inflicted on Syria and the killing of innocent civilians, and the displacement of its people, all of this did not  secure from the attempt  of  the Media of Pro Syrian regime  to beatify  the  image and that the regime is leading a holy campaign to counter terrorism and global arrogance, and the last of these monstrous media  was the  emergence of this media  mouthpieces  to justify the bombing of  civilian neighborhoods by Russian  Air Force, and the killing of innocent civilians, and this is  only the tip of the iceberg.
– Terrorism and youth  :  Here it must be a close examination of the  strange  linkage   between  young people and terrorism in terms that the  terrorism is an attraction for young people because of its  ideas and plans that mimic the minds of young people noting that  the  Arab media  failed to do it  because of the absence of youth awareness programs, and only the transfer of  news of terrorist groups, and how to think, without giving youth ways of prevention to address these distorted ideas , and immunized  them from  the docility  behind it , young people are very important age group in the construction and development process, but they become dangerous category and timing  bomb if we left them  without guidance and awareness ,  especially  with widespread unemployment, poverty and persecution, practiced by governments to this category, making it up for grabs for terrorism and its  people , so The role of media is  very big and important  in spreading of  awareness and  the real  knowledge.
The problem of  the Arab media:
– the lack of transparency and professionalism in the conveyance of information, and to follow certain policies away from the foundations of media work.
– It is  left behind  the  development of the global media, and weaknesses in dealing with modern technology, experienced by the media and the lack of technology to have.
– The weakness of the special  curriculum of media , and relying on the old curriculum in the teaching of new young people.
– The absence of freedom of expression and the lack of space available to the media  and impose a strict government censorship.
– the  cultural and scientific low  level of the Arabs  receiver
–  The  control  of government  on all  means of the state  and private  media  on  one way or another.
In fact,  Arab  media is still , both public and  state media ,remarkably  suffers from backwardness and  dependency , in addition to follow specific policies that are not related to the media  work  and a mockery of Arab mind receiver , which led to the reluctance of Arab citizens to follow the news, and the trend to the Western media to get the information, which is  of  the utmost gravity in the medium and long term  that  requires  to catch up with the global media to restore the confidence of the Arab citizen again.

Rawabet Research and Strategic Studies Center