Informasjons- og kulturministeren i De forente arabiske emirater (UAE) kom med hard kritikk mot arabiske medier under et medietoppmøte i Dubai tidligere i oktober, det tredje arabiske medieforumet. Det gjaldt særlig dekningen av Irak-krigen:

…»we all know that [the Iraqi] regime was based on terrorism and oppression, and that it launched several wars against its neighbours, occupying them and attempting to erase them from the political dictionary. (…) Nonetheless, all the Arab media forgot or pretended to forget these facts, and failed to convey them to its audience. It even went as far as portraying that regime as if it were in the right, depicting the conflict simplistically as one between the West and an Arab regime willing to confront and challenge it in the name of Arab honour and sovereignty.»

Ministeren, sjeik Abdullah bin Sayed, kritiserer også arabiske mediers hyperkommerisalisme – at publikum skal få akkurat de de ønsker, all kritisk sans og profesjonalisme til side:

Abdullah also mocked what he called «the trend overtaking our Arab satellite broadcasts based on the principle ‘this is what the audience wants … this is what they want to hear’ and to hell with objectivity, balance, precision and a critical eye». Raising his voice in his concluding statements, he called on the media to «correct their discourse and direction» and speak the truth without resorting to rhetoric.

The quarrel between London-based Al-Quds Al-‘Arabi Editor-in-Chief Abdel-Bari ‘Atwan and Ahmed Al-Rab’ie, a Kuwaiti writer and politician, during their panel entitled «Arab media coverage of the Iraqi war», proved embarrassing and provoked disdain from the attendees:

…The discord between ‘Atwan and Al-Rab’ie — each representing divergent trends in Arab media circles — was manifest in their views of the regimes in Kuwait and Iraq as well as their opinions of Arab satellite channels. Al-Rab’ie claimed that these channels «attempt to manipulate the general sense of frustration of the Arabs, to increase viewership while neglecting the truth».

As an example of emotive «fabrications» employed in this manner Al-Rab’ie cited the Iraqi farmer who allegedly downed an Apache helicopter. «This made headline news in all Arab countries, but the farmer owned up later that it was untrue,» he said.

Mer i Al-Ahram Weekly.