Multiple factors combine to augment conflicts or contribute to their containment. In each case, the media play several roles that vary in significance. With advanced telecommunications and development in the international means of communication, the role of the media has grown substantially in most of the world's disputes. It is no longer confined to covering and broadcasting events, but stages them and circulates reports that reflect the visions of the conflicting parties and promote their strategies and interests. With satellite channels launched, the Arab world has witnessed a media upheaval, particularly in recent years, due to the unprecedented prevalence of modern telecommunication technologies and the unlimited benefits of the internet.
The profound influence of this upheaval has evidently extended to the political and social arenas. Arab citizens no longer need to look at their reality and several aggravating crises through the eyes of the predominantly foreign media, but have now access to objective coverage of events, allowing them to form their own perceptions in light of the historical and cultural contexts of the region. The accelerating development of the media has now given individuals, groups and states the power to mold reality both positively and negatively. Also, it raises crucial questions concerning the nature of the media's role in conflicts and how far it conforms to professional standards and international charts.
Accordingly, the second plenary session of day two of the forum, 5 May, has been dedicated to the discussion the role of the media in conflicts through the following questions:
- To what extent can challenges in the field affect the professionalism, balance, and objectivity of the media coverage of conflicts?
- How do traditional media and new media differ in the coverage of conflicts?
- What benefits can be reaped from the international media coverage of conflicts (such as the wars on Afghanistan, Iraq, and Gaza)?
- What are the dangers of armed groups' exploitation of the paradigms of traditional and new media?
- Can the media and journalists change current realities and create new methods of influence and change?
