Today's Edition
NEW YORK (WAM)
As a significant step in preparing for the "Bridge Summit", the National Media Office (NMO) convened a high-profile roundtable during the 2025 INMA World Congress of News Media in New York. The event saw the attendance of Abdulla bin Mohammed bin Butti Al Hamed, Chairman of both the NMO and the UAE Media Council.
This pivotal roundtable discussion brought together influential leaders spanning journalism, technology, entertainment, public affairs, and culture. Through a series of interactive sessions and workshops, participants delved into pressing media challenges and identified avenues for robust cross-sector collaboration.
The NMO Chairman outlined the Bridge Summit's ambitious goal: to redefine the media landscape through enhanced international cooperation and integrated efforts. This initiative, he stated, aims to strengthen the media's societal role and foster a more sustainable and humane world. He emphasised that building responsible and creative media hinges on robust, cross-border partnerships.
He highlighted the roundtable as a significant step in global preparations for the Bridge Summit. The summit seeks to forge a shared media vision grounded in sectoral integration, cross-disciplinary synergy, and cultural interaction, all while anticipating media's future amidst rapid digital transformation.
The roundtable commenced with an opening session led by Richard Attias, Executive Chairman of Richard Attias & Associates, a global strategic communications and events firm. This was followed by an introductory speech from Maryam BinFahad, NMO Advisor, who detailed the Bridge initiative's objectives and its role in building trust and addressing challenges within the media sector.
In a session titled "Entertainment and Cultural Power: When Attention Becomes Currency", attended by the NMO Chairman and a select of media professionals and thought leaders, participants stressed the responsibility of cultural content creators regarding the quality of their messages and their impact on shaping societal awareness.
Addressing the sessions, Al Hamed argued that true influence transcends mere view counts or engagement rates. It is measured, instead, by the power of authentic, purposeful content that fosters more aware and cohesive communities, and reintroduces human values into a digital sphere often swamped by speed and superficiality.
He further noted that the paramount challenge in the age of digital platforms lies in safeguarding authenticity and credibility amidst the din of advertisements and the pervasive influence of algorithms. These algorithms, he explained, frequently prioritise fleeting, easily digestible content over that which is profound and impactful.
He urged the creation of content rooted in meaning and message, contributing to a cultural discourse that elevates public taste and strengthens social cohesion.
In another session titled "Who Shapes the Narrative Today?", a group of journalists and content creators discussed the increasing impact of digital factors on shaping public discourse.
Meanwhile, a session titled "Charitable Institutions: The Price of Editorial Independence" explored alternative funding models that protect creative and media independence.
Another session, "Academic Institutions: Teaching Truth When Trust is Lost," examined how to prepare media leaders capable of maintaining integrity in a decentralised digital world.
The session titled "The Media Future: Voices Beyond Borders" explored the technical, ethical, and creative challenges that could reshape the media landscape.
The final roundtable session, "Media and Innovation: Transformation, Truth, and Authenticity," addressed the impact of advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence and augmented reality on media narratives and credibility.
Additionally, the event featured a workshop titled "Journalism and Education in the Face of the Trust Crisis", delivered by a group of media professionals and academics. It focused on the challenges faced by the media sector in light of declining youth trust in it.
