Journalists say attempts to control digital media doomed to failure

AMMAN — Governments in the Arab world cannot control digital media, and the best way to regulate it and avoid malpractice is through the proper training of journalists working for online news portals, media insiders said Sunday.

Digital media portals are gaining momentum in the Arab world, where there are over 150 million Internet users, they added. 

Digital media is even becoming an increasing source of concern for governments seeking to restrict media freedom, the journalists said at a session during the third Forum for Media Freedom Defenders in the Arab World.

Acknowledging the malpractice in some digital media outlets that needs to be addressed, the experts proposed forming syndicates for journalists working for news websites.

They were also critical of Jordan for blocking more than 290 news websites in June last year after the Press and Publications Law went into effect.

"Governments in the Arab world need to understand that digital media is about having an open space with no limits. It cannot be controlled like traditional media outlets," Walid Saqqaf, chairman of the Internet Society in Yemen, said at the forum, held by the Centre for Defending the Freedom of Journalists.

"Restricting freedom of the Internet obstructs innovation and has serious consequences on society," Saqqaf noted.

Speakers during the session also warned that social media networks can be platforms for spreading rumours and factoids.

"Following the Arab Spring, Arab governments sought to control digital media after witnessing the impact of online news sites and the booming usage of social media," said Emad Ahmad, chief editor of Al Masry Al Youm daily in Egypt.

"It is important to regulate digital media but not to censor it," he added.

"The way digital media operates, and its audience and reach are different from traditional media; governments need to be aware of this fact," Ahmad said, noting that there are always technical ways to overcome any blocking attempts.

Rana Allam, managing editor of Daily News in Egypt, agreed with Ahmad, saying that the way to regulate digital media is by honing journalists' skills, not through imposing laws that obstruct press freedom.

More than 350 journalists from the Arab world and abroad attended the forum, which concluded on Sunday and was held in cooperation with the Norwegian embassy, Foundation for the Future and EREM News.