Premier lauds media role

His Royal Highness Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa underlined that the fast-paced changes and challenges in the region and across the world means journalists and media people have a major responsibility in protecting the integrity of their profession and entrenching the role of the press in marshaling the capabilities of societies and prompting them towards progress.  His Royal Highness stressed that the press, with its strong and effective role in shaping and directing international public opinion, is one of the foundations for ensuring peace and stability, containing and settling conflicts, promoting the spirit of co-operation among states and societies, and pooling energies to focus on the common humanitarian objectives, mainly sustainable development, that the international community shares.

“The noble mission entrusted to journalism should be directed to serving nations and to the development of societies, and that journalism should be characterized by the values of objectivity and sobriety which represent the cornerstone in the honor codes of journalistic endeavors,” His Royal Highness said. His Royal Highness emphasized these points in a message to the world on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day which is observed May 3 and held this year under the motto of “Journalism and Elections in Times of Disinformation.”

He said that the important role of the press and the media in enhancing the awareness of peoples and societies should be enhanced and strengthened to keep pace with the surge the world is witnessing in information and communications. He added this requires immunizing the journalistic profession against all impurities that might undermine its noble values. The Premier stressed that as much as World Press Freedom Day is an international celebration, it also provides an opportunity for instilling in the new generations of journalists the noble principles of the journalistic profession in such a way as to enhance the value of journalistic work and makes it more trustworthy.

His Royal Highness said: “The press has been and will always be a solid fortress for ensuring security and stability as long as it is based on responsibility and the elite values of journalistic work, particularly since we are living in a world in which many areas witness a state of disorderliness in the circulation of information.” He added that information moves without restrictions in today’s world and might consequently contribute to stoking conflicts and fanning sedition within nations. He said this requires more alertness on the part of journalism to become more capable of building a public opinion that believes in the importance of the cohesion of the national fabric as a shield that prevents societies and states from sliding towards chaos and ruin.