Media urged to fight terrorism, extremism

AMMAN — Minister of State for Media Affairs Mohammad Momani on Wednesday urged Arab media institutions to fight all forms of terrorism and extremism, and work in unity to address their destructive impact on humanity, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Momani stressed that the media with its diverse tools should expose the deceptive ways of extremism.

In his remarks during the 45th General Assembly of the Federation of Arab News Agencies (FANA) held in Amman on Wednesday, the minister said that the responsibility of the Arab media institutions is huge, especially the official media institutions, which should defend the national interest, culture and civilisation, while preserving the identity of the nation and protecting it.

Momani pointed out that reinforcing confidence in official media is not only the duty of governments, but also a national effort that should be carried out by all press and media institutions.

He added that the technology advancement in the media and social media poses a serious challenge to official media institutions. The challenge requires all media institutions to keep up with the progress in technology.

Momani highlighted that failure to find a solution to the Palestinian cause has escalated challenges and added to the suffering of the Palestinian people.

He urged the international community to find a solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict based on the two-state solution with an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Momani pointed out that hosting large numbers of refugees has put the country’s resources under strain, especially in health, education, services, and development sectors. He called on the international community to support refugees.

President of FANA and Kuwait News Agency’s Board Chairman and Director General Sheikh Mubarak Duaij Al Ibrahim Al Saba outlined the importance of media outlets in the fight against terrorism and extremism in all its forms. 

FANA elected Sheikh Mubarak as the president of the federation for the next session.