THE Arab media is still controlled by the establishment and is still the government’s mouthpiece. Its facilities are well guarded and secure — far more than comparable facilities in other areas. This is the result of an outdated mindset. The media now has an economic dimension — it presents cultural, educational and entertainment programs to boost employment and develop nations.
Some Arab countries have recognized the need to change their media policies and have enacted new laws and regulations to establish a more flexible working environment. Some have even promised to shut down their information ministries and turn them into monitoring and regulatory bodies. Other countries have established a separate mass media to provide advanced services in parallel to what is offered in the official mass media.
The Ministry of Information, as a government body, exists only in some countries in Africa, the Middle East and Asia. A recent specialized survey has evaluated the assets of the official Arab mass media to be in excess of $25 billion. This includes radio and television networks, news agencies, publications and satellites. All these organizations are burdened with redundant staff. As they don’t apply profit and loss principles of financial management, they suffer big losses that affect their development plans. These organizations are stagnating and getting more costly over time.
New initiatives and ideas can be implemented to ensure integration and cooperation between the Arab states. Good examples can be found in the power, gas and communication sectors, where projects have been linked. The advanced countries have turned the official media into private but regulated concerns that aim at developing new means of investing in public mass media. By doing so these countries have reaped massive profits and expanded their economies.
The question is whether Arab governments are really willing to privatize the mass media. Or are they making statements about privatization just to impress and sell the idea that they are adopting recent international trends? The acid test is to abolish state protection of the mass media and make the sector economically independent. This will allow the creation of more than 120,000 jobs and establish a media industry that is capable of flourishing and developing. Brave decisions to liberate the media will restore confidence and attract the billions in capital that have been expatriated. This would also send a signal to the world at large that the Arab countries are committed to development and economic reform.
We cannot recognize the true moral and economic value of the media without acknowledging its legitimacy. To do so, we need an atmosphere of freedom, which is regrettably unavailable. We cannot have the media as the “fourth estate” while the second and third estates — the legislature and judiciary respectively — are missing. Civilizations are measured not only by their heritage and history but also by their having a mirror that honestly reflects reality. This is the true role of the media.
