National Media Office Organises Key Roundtable To Prepare For Upcoming Bridge Summit
The National Media Office (NMO) recently hosted a significant roundtable at the 2025 INMA World Congress of News Media in New York. This event was a key step towards the upcoming "Bridge" Summit. Abdulla bin Mohammed bin Butti Al Hamed, who chairs both the NMO and the UAE Media Council, was present. The gathering included leaders from journalism, technology, entertainment, public affairs, and culture.
During interactive sessions and workshops, participants explored media challenges and identified opportunities for collaboration across sectors. The NMO Chairman highlighted the Bridge Summit's goal to redefine media through international cooperation. This initiative aims to enhance media's societal role and promote a sustainable world. He stressed that responsible media relies on strong partnerships across borders.
The roundtable began with Richard Attias leading an opening session. Maryam BinFahad, an NMO Advisor, followed with a speech outlining the Bridge initiative's objectives. She emphasised its role in building trust and addressing media sector challenges.
In a session titled "Entertainment and Cultural Power: When Attention Becomes Currency," participants discussed cultural content creators' responsibility for message quality. Al Hamed argued that true influence isn't just about view counts but about meaningful content that fosters community awareness.
He noted that digital platforms pose challenges to authenticity amid ads and algorithms prioritising quick content over profound messages. He urged creating content with depth to elevate public discourse and strengthen social cohesion.
Sessions on Narrative Shaping
Another session, "Who Shapes the Narrative Today?", involved journalists discussing digital factors' impact on public discourse. Meanwhile, "Charitable Institutions: The Price of Editorial Independence" examined funding models protecting creative independence.
The session "Academic Institutions: Teaching Truth When Trust is Lost" focused on preparing media leaders to maintain integrity in a decentralised digital world. "The Media Future: Voices Beyond Borders" explored technical and ethical challenges reshaping media landscapes.
Impact of Technology on Media
The final roundtable session, "Media and Innovation: Transformation, Truth, and Authenticity," addressed advanced technologies like AI and augmented reality affecting media narratives. A workshop titled "Journalism and Education in the Face of the Trust Crisis" highlighted declining youth trust in media.
Al Hamed emphasised that genuine influence transcends mere engagement metrics. It lies in authentic content fostering cohesive communities while reintroducing human values into a fast-paced digital world often dominated by superficiality.
This roundtable marked a crucial step in global preparations for the Bridge Summit. The summit aims to create a shared media vision based on integration, synergy, and cultural interaction while anticipating future digital transformations.
With inputs from WAM
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