During the second day of the forum, held in Riyadh, participants offered frank assessments of the challenges facing Arab media and the steps necessary for them to meet the demands of the current phase and extend their influence internationally.
Panels and workshops explored a wide range of topics, including the role of citizen journalism in shaping the news agenda, the challenges of keeping pace with digital infrastructure amid rapid content industry transformations, and the art of producing high-quality journalistic storytelling in an era of technological abundance and fragmented content trends.
Tackling fake news and misinformation
A session titled “Influence Diplomacy: Media and Image-Making” examined the role of the media in shaping perceptions and enhancing the soft power of states, with the participation of several ambassadors accredited to Saudi Arabia.
Diaa Al-Din Bamakhrama, Ambassador of Djibouti and Dean of the Diplomatic Corps in the Kingdom, said Saudi Arabia offers a prominent model of influence diplomacy through its organization of international forums and its investment in culture and sports, particularly football, which has helped project the Saudi presence around the world.
“In an increasingly interconnected world that has become a small village, false and invented narratives fall rapidly and cannot resist the flow of information and facts,” Bamakhrama said, noting that digital media has made the exposure of falsehoods faster and that only truthful narratives can generate lasting trust in public opinion.
The Spanish ambassador to the Kingdom, Javier Carbajosa Sánchez, highlighted that the relationship between media and diplomacy is historical and has become more complex and influential in the era of modern communications and social networks.
The media, he said, has never been simply a transmitter, but rather an active and influential force, adding that political work cannot be separated from the management of media presence.
For his part, Dr Suhel Ajaz Khan, Indian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, said image building and perception management are at the heart of public and cultural diplomacy.
He explained that conveying the right message to the right audience is the key to influence, and that art and national cuisine are among the most effective soft power tools.
He added that cultural diplomacy is based on activating soft power instruments such as arts, music, film and cuisine to improve human connection and build bridges between people.
In Saudi Arabia, he noted, the Indian community, along with Indian cinema and food culture, plays an important role in shaping perceptions and strengthening associations, sometimes with an impact that exceeds that of formal diplomatic efforts.
Confronting fake news and digital misinformation, Khan emphasized the need for swift, honest and direct diplomacy to present the facts before rumors spread.
South African Ambassador Mogobo David Magabe highlighted mutual respect and dialogue as fundamental pillars of diplomacy, noting that the main challenges today are the spread of misinformation and the accelerated pace of modern media, which contrasts with diplomacy’s traditionally gradual and long-term approach to building relationships.
A candid look at Arab media
In a separate dialogue session on the realities of Arab media and the requirements for expanding its global reach, Saudi journalist Jameel Altheyabi said local Arab media are largely inward-looking, driven by a mentality focused on domestic audiences with limited consideration for the global sphere.
He described Arab media as often emotive, with different approaches to content and engagement across the region.
Writer and journalist Mamoun Fandy said stories produced in the Arab world are viewed internationally through the lens of their origin and nature, while global audiences apply their own standards of credibility, accuracy and sources.
He added that the Arab world can generate distinctive journalistic stories capable of shaping global discourse through exclusivity and originality, and lamented that many official Arab institutions still prefer foreign media to convey their narratives to the world.