Media professionals stressed on Wednesday the important role of governments, media and individuals in protecting communities from misleading information in times of crisis.
During an interactive digital discussion organized by Kuwait Media Association through (ZOOM) platform, they warned of the dangers of rumors and underlined the importance of news credibility verification and professional responsibilities through social media.
“Everyone has to rely on key reliable sources, especially with the wide spread of social media and the massive flow of information,” said Professor of modern communication and media at Kuwait University Dr. Bashayer Al-Sanei.
She stressed the need to qualify media cadres to deal correctly with the flow of information through all types of media, activate tools of quality control, and to include (media awareness) in school curriculum.
On his part, Chairman of Kuwait Union of Electronic Media Faisal Al-Sawagh said both media officials and the public should have the sense of responsibility in time of crisis in dealing with the massive flow of information and rely on official media sources such as Kuwait News Agency (KUNA).
He emphasized the significance of joint media cooperation between government institutions and civil society organizations in fighting misinformation and rumors in the society.
On the other hand, American author and media expert Margret Sullivan Said the official media contributes significantly to boosting public awareness, suppressing rumors, and protecting communities from the consequences of misleading information She called for the development of media cadresآ’ skills in detecting false information, filtering out news items, and raising public awareness.
Sullivan also called on society members to shoulder their due responsibilities to fight rumors and prevent relevant impacts.
On his part, Kuwaiti writer and journalist Ahmad Al-Fahad believed that rumors are more dangerous to societies than pandemics.
He stressed that it is essential for state agencies to organize regular press conferences and meetings in order to provide accurate news, and to launch official accounts on all social media platforms.
This, he maintained, will help in reaching out a large number of people, as well as providing accurate information.
Finally, Bader Al-Sharhan, KUNA’s Deputy Editor-in-Chief sounded the alarm about the perils of rumors and misinformation on the safety and security of societies.
El-Sharhan underlined the importance of checking information before republishing them and intensifying awareness campaigns of the proper and ideal use of social media.
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