Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Sunday, 26th November, 2023-
The Managing Director of the Sierra Leone News Agency (SLENA), Yeama Sarah Thompson, on Sunday joined her counterparts in Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, for a one-day media summit, on the theme “The Role of Media in inciting hatred and violence – the risks of misinformation and bias”.
During the summit, the Union of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation News Agencies, comprising 57 countries, and the most significant international news agencies from Asia, Europe, and the Americas, condemned hate speech and bias reporting, as well as expressed their solidarity with Palestine and urged world leaders to end the war in Gaza.
SLENA Managing Director, Yeama Sarah Thomspon, also utilized the summit to create a collaborative partnership and explore opportunities for the Sierra Leone media.
“The summit was timely because misinformation and disinformation is in the increase especially in Africa and other parts of the world.
As you know, the media economy is a challenge, and the media sometimes derive information from online sources which may sometimes be difficult to verify. So, the use of verified information is increasingly becoming important when we talk about hate speech and bias reporting,” she told me in an interview.
She said she was able to form several partnerships with media agencies in the Mano River Union, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), among others, adding that she was looking forward to developing MOUs with her counterparts for trainings and capacity building.
During the opening session, His Excellency Sheikh Dr. Mohammed bin Abdul Karim Al-Issa, Secretary-General of the Muslim World League (MWL), welcomed the delegates, noting that the theme of the event resonates with the concerns of living consciences.
He emphasized that the media has a significant role in effectively steering our world away from sinking in its threats. He said the media plays a crucial role in countering the alarming escalation of hate speech and incitement towards dangerous matters, foremost of which are discrimination and exclusion, leading to conflict, confrontation, and violence.
“Nothing is more dangerous than allowing the expression of hatred without restraint. This slide forms a dangerous culture where hate prevails nationally and internationally. Therefore, everyone must realize that countering hate speech is among the primary reasons for preserving the peace and security of societies and enhancing friendship between nations and peoples,” he said.
Sheikh Al-Issa pointed out that what we are witnessing today in Gaza, with a criminal assault on innocent children, women, and others, is a stain on the forehead of all humanity. He stated that this humanitarian catastrophe is etched in the core of every living conscience, and logic of justice and human rights from the overall active and sincere international diversity has rallied to support it.
Al-Issa expressed, deep appreciation to the Muslim ummah for the significant efforts in supporting the Palestinian cause and standing firmly against the crimes in Gaza.
On his part, His Excellency, the General Supervisor of the Official Media in the State of Palestine, Minister Ahmad Al-Assaf, pointed out that the forum is being held “at this critical time when our people in Palestine, especially in Gaza, are going through this massacre and atrocities.”
He added that if we take the Palestinian issue as a case study for the role of media in combating misinformation and bias, “we find it to be the most accurate and clearest model because it summarizes the battle between right and wrong, truth and falsehood, deception and slander.”
“The Palestinian narrative suffered from bias and distortion by major media outlets worldwide that did not want to see the truth, seeking to obscure, erase, and eliminate it,” Assaf said.
He explained that when these biased international media outlets look at the Palestinian issue, they turn a blind eye to the crimes, oppression, killing, and destruction taking place on Palestinian land.
He pointed out that the reality of the battle with the occupation began when they tried to build their state on the basis that Palestine was a land without a people for a people without a land, thus seeking to erase the Palestinian narrative.
Al-Assaf described the reality of the occupation of Palestinian land as an attempt to erase history, present and future.
The opening session featured live interventions from several journalists from Palestinian territories, discussing the reality of journalism in the face of Israeli aggression and the challenges journalists face in fulfilling their professional duties.
The session also included a short film presentation on the role of media in shaping public opinion and societal awareness, whether negatively or positively.
Following that, the forum continued with panel discussions, with the first session focusing on “The role of religious institutions and leaderships in combating hate speech and violence on media platforms”. The second panel discussion reviewed “Bias and distortion in international media: the Palestinian as a case study”. The third panel discussion addressed “Ethical responsibility in international media”, while the fourth panel discussion covered “International religious and media alliances to confront hate speech and extremism”.
On the forum’s sidelines, a memorandum of cooperation was signed between the Assistant Secretariat for Corporate Communication of the Muslim World League and the Union of OIC News Agencies. The Director-General of the Union, Mohammed bin Abdulrab Al-Yami, signed on behalf of the Union, and the Assistant Secretary-General for Corporate Communication, Mr. Abdulwahab Al-Shehri, signed on behalf of the Muslim World League.
For more enquiries:
Abubakarr Bah, Information Attaché
Embassy of the Republic of Sierra Leone, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Email: information.attache@sa.slembassy.gov.sl
