Media must fight intolerance, celebrate diversity, UAE minister tells Global Media Conference in Abu Dhabi

“’You have a responsibility to spread awareness of other cultures and belief systems in society, and to call for unity and understanding among diverse groups. The media must highlight how diversity can be a source of strength in society and help combat the culture that breeds narrow-mindedness. Misinformation and fake news,” Sheikh Nahyan said.

“In essence, media professionals and companies must be role models for diversity and honesty, because honest and transparent media is the only true way to shape social awareness and inclusion.”

Sheikh Nahyan’s speech at the conference kicked off a day of discussions on the challenges of ensuring tolerance in the media sector. The minister himself highlighted the UAE’s inclusivity efforts, including the establishment of a ministry dedicated to inclusiveness and the signing of the Human Fraternity Document in Abu Dhabi in 2019.

Veteran journalists at the event said the UAE could even continue offering tolerance training.

“This meeting was a reference to how the United Nations first started celebrating tolerance in 1995, and how the world is still talking about it today. We may still be talking about it 50 years later, but we have to be proactive. Media companies shouldn’t do this at the expense of society. Cost chasing profit because polarization will definitely get you eyeballs and profit but not social good,” Indian author and journalist Ruben Banerjee told the panel.

“Perhaps Abu Dhabi can pave the way for tolerance scholarships, which will have a knock-on effect on tolerance.”

Other panellists supported the need for society to spread the values ​​of fraternity and solidarity among its members, saying that these values ​​must be taught from an early age. They also warned against falling prey to the spread of hate via social media.

Dr Mohamed Al Ali, founder of UAE-based think tank Trends Research and Advisory, said the cornerstone of tolerance was family and community, with elders playing a key role in shaping the way young people think.

“Society cannot be built and developed without home wisdom and reflection, and unfortunately, social media — with its gut reaction spread through keyboard-loving users — is not grounded in thought, reflection, and knowledge. This gut reaction is The enemy of tolerance, especially when people are happy to share biased views, hides behind their online profiles,” said Vatican Communications Minister Lucio Adrian Ruiz.

“Families must play a key role in educating youth as we can attribute intolerance to lack of knowledge, and credulity to fake news,” the official said.

In addition, social education and training are needed to ensure respect for diversity.

“When we disagree with our siblings or parents, we first learn to value differences of opinion within families. But families alone are not enough to create a tolerant society, organizations must reinforce the teachings that underscore differences between different people. The need for dialogue and respect,” Ruiz said. Banerjee agreed, calling the world a “global village”.

“In this global village, we are all connected and we have to learn to agree to disagree. This is the first step in building a unified society,” he said.

Judge Mohamed Abdul Salam, Secretary-General of the Zayed Prize for Human Fraternity and Secretary-General of the Muslim Council of Elders, discussed the important role of the media in enhancing community understanding.

“The Zayed Prize for Human Fraternity is dedicated to promoting peaceful coexistence. Given the nature of this ambitious goal, we know that collaboration and cooperation are essential to success. We believe in the critical role that the media can play in fostering mutual understanding. The media has raised The power of recognizing and focusing forces around key issues and bridging divides by providing fair and balanced messages. We must all recognize the role we can play in creating a culture of peace and put it into action,” he said.

The three-day congress is organized by the Emirates News Agency (WAM) in partnership with the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Center (ADNEC) Group.

The event, which runs through Thursday, is expected to be attended by more than 1,200 people. In addition to the dynamic conference, there are many seminars for media professionals, as well as exhibitions of major media agencies and social organizations.