Media as important to counter terrorism as military strikes — conference

AMMAN — Media outlets in the Arab world should refrain from hate speech and shed light on how terrorist groups’ ideologies are not related to Islam, Arab media experts and officials said Wednesday.

At the conclusion of a pan-Arab conference on the role of media in confronting terrorism, participants suggested that using traditional and social media to counter terrorist groups’ campaigns and propaganda was as important to fighting terrorism as using military means.

They stressed that media outlets should not sow seeds of sedition in society or act as platforms for spreading hate and division.

Media outlets in the Arab world should intensify their efforts to clarify the true image of Islam, in contrast to the distortions created by terrorist groups, according to a copy of the recommendations issued at the conclusion of the two-day event held by the Arab League and the Jordan News Agency, Petra.

“There is a need for training media personnel on how to cover terrorist attacks in a way that does not serve terrorists and help them promote their propaganda,” the participants added in the recommendations. Feisal Shboul, director general of the Jordan News Agency, Petra, stressed the significance of the recommendations, which, he said, also called on media outlets to engage in initiatives to raise awareness among the public on how terrorist groups have nothing to do with Islam.

Shboul said that participants, who represented many Arab states, urged media outlets in the Arab world to avoid publishing biased or unsourced news and to be careful not to promote terrorists’ ideologies and acts.