KUWAIT: Minister of Information and Minister of State for Youth Affairs Mohammad Al-Jabri stressed on Tuesday the valued role of Kuwaiti media on a global scale. Jabri made the statement while inaugurating Kuwait's first media forum, saying that developing media is not only the responsibility of the ministry, but also a common responsibility to which all should contribute.
The forum translates this goal so as to make positive and realistic results contributing to the promotion of the steps made by Kuwait's media towards progress and development, he said. He noted that Kuwait's media has been playing its active role and fulfilling its national responsibilities in supporting the government and evaluating the performance of all state institutions.
Key pillar
The minister cited the words of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, praising the role of Kuwaiti media. The march of Kuwait's media has been backed by electronic media, he said, describing it as a 'key pillar' in bolstering progress in the country.
He confirmed that the Ministry of Information is supporting all positive works carried out by various actors of civil society. The minister thanked Kuwait Society for Media and Communication and those responsible for organizing such forums to dissimilate awareness and constructive media culture, whether on ground or in the virtual world.
Meanwhile, president of Kuwait Society for Media and Communication Madhi Al-Khamees said Kuwait's media is going through this stage while the world is experiencing a qualitative shift through electronic transformation and the use of modern technology, which proved its agility to adapt to different circumstances in a well-deserved manner.
He stressed that Kuwait's media has been a pioneering in the region, noting that such specialized forums aim to develop media and reshape it to cope with this stage. The society organizes this forum through the electronic Microsoft Teams platform in cooperation with the Ministry of Information. A number of media professionals, academics, lawmakers and media students are also taking part in the three-day event.
False information
In other news, Director of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees' (UNHCR) Office in Kuwait Dr Samer Haddadin stressed the importance of the measures taken by Kuwait to combat rumors, false information and what arouses hate speech, especially in light of the current circumstances against COVID-19. Haddadin said in a press statement Tuesday that the Kuwaiti Ministry of Information previously launched an electronic platform as a tool to investigate the credibility of news, photos and videos, reducing the spread of fake news.
He noted the warning of the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, that with the spread of COVID-19, a wave of misinformation and hate speech launched in the world. The UN launched the electronic platform announced by the UN Secretary General on April 14 to provide information that may contribute to preserving the lives of individuals, scientific advice and success stories. - KUNA