Arab media: Struggling for renewal.

Nabil Khatib When the phone in my office rang, it was the tenth phone call that day. It was, much like every other day, a viewer from Saudi Arabia chiding me because he thought the coverage that day had been inadequate. He said, "You are not covering the defamatory pictures of the Prophet Muhammad as much as we want you to." His call had been preceded by one from our correspondent in Cairo, who says our office phones have been ringing off the hook with calls from relatives still hoping to learn details about the tragic sinking of the ferry in the Red Sea. In light of these two phone calls, there is a difficult decision to be made about priorities. Before and after these phone calls came a number of others--some encouraging, others not. Some callers offered advice or suggestions on subjects that the viewer felt was important. This is what it is like every day. And perhaps this is the scene beginning to form--the Arab people are beginning to interact with the Arab media, which presents various issues. The Arab citizen no longer feels he or she is deprived of making a difference.In the majority of Arab countries, the media outlet provides a means of expression and an opportunity to generate change. The average Arab citizen is deprived of access to information in his or her own country, and is deprived of political participation in light of the absence of elections, the banning of political parties and the lack of other forms of democratic life.The only constant variable, I believe, is that now the Arab viewer has access to information and entertainment alternatives, while previously these came from his or her government. The Arab viewer, wherever located, has access to: Visual media continuity benefiting mutual Arab and regional interests, beyond the local Arab media; effective and influential media that broadcasts attractively, direct and live, which makes it much more difficult at times for the government to control or monitor it; An increasingly beneficial, concentrated and less selective flow of information to the Arab public; The creation of a wider horizon for the Arab viewer.The news stations that appeared in the mid-90s were characterized by an exchange of opinions on issues the viewer or the Arab citizen was not previously able to talk about. This development, however, was largely limited to the exchange of opinion, rather than news. Today, there are a number of problems pressing the "new" Arab media. What is ownership? What is the agenda and who sets it? What is the economic environment (the advertising market in the Arab world is estimated at only five billion dollars in total)? What is the legal and social environment in which the media operates (there is still room to develop an acceptance of new ideas, and the atmosphere remains legally ambiguous and irregular)? What is the political environment? (The Arab media may in fact have a negative impact upon the democratic process. Because it focuses on external rather than local news, the new Arab media does not always promote a concerned and knowledgeable public.) Mostly, Arab viewers receive news from the "new" Arab media about the Arab-Israeli conflict or the war in Iraq, as well as some other regional and international topics. They do not receive information or news about local issues such as the running of affairs--government performance and handling of public funds or legislative and parliamentary performance, for example--in the state where the viewer/citizen lives. These are all essential to the democratic process and for citizens/viewers to make decisions and formulate political options locally.These are extremely vital issues, which are taboo in the local media, which is subject to censorship or owned by those in power, and are not broached by the "new" media. Hence, there is the risk of estrangement from reality, as Arab viewers receive information other than that which explains their own difficult existence.The explanation for this is clear, but complex. The truth is, if the "new" Arab media seeks to be more professional and more news-oriented, it must operate in a freer atmosphere, one that allows it to access information without threats to accreditation or the arrest of correspondents. With the persistence of the abovementioned threats, the "new" Arab media is a phenomenon that is part and parcel of sociopolitical processes in Arab societies. This phenomenon has become an influential factor. At the same time, the "new" Arab media is still very much a prisoner to persisting failures in protecting freedom of speech and disseminating information and news about issues those in power do not want the public to know. Perhaps herein lies today's challenge to Arab media outlets. Nabil Khatib is executive editor of Al-Arabiya Satellite Channel. Bitterlemons-international.orgArab media: Struggling for renewal

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