Mehmood-Ul-Hassan Khan
Media the 4th pillar of the state has become crucial in safe guarding the national identity and security. It is the gatekeeper of national culture, heritage and traditions. It is one the key mediums of soft image projection. It supports nation’s commercial diplomacy efforts.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE)’s National Media Council (NMC) is playing an important role in further enhancing of national drive of Emiratization, building of strong national character, promoting of national resilience against alien cultures and detrimental traditions. It also highlights and protects the government’s efforts to achieve greater political participation, social cohesion and cultural chasteness. It shows the miraculous socio-economic prosperity and religious tolerance through its editorials, news reports articles and special awareness programs. It takes care about UAE national geo-political issues and regional geo-strategic vested interests. It keeps on sharp eyes on emerging regional and international changes.
UAE national media works as a one coherent team guided by prudent policy towards development and progress. It plays a positive role in promoting and fostering the spirit of inter-sectoral cooperation, solidarity and harmony. It does not believe in yellow journalism, sensitization, seditious and rumormongering. It always stands for perfection, authentic values, and responsible attitude.
UAE media has been contributing positive and healthy inputs in the formation of national agenda about education, health, clean drinking water or food security problems. It has succeeded to build a tolerant society, institutionalization of transparency in the different organs of the state including corporate sector. It has the ability to excel and led. It has unparalleled professional qualities to differentiate between the reality and fiction, good and bad, truth and falsehood and ecstasy and responsibility. Right from its inception, UAE media has been one of the key organs of the state to stand first against any external cultural threat and dealt with devastating ideas which seek to undermine security and stability, and twist and distort the facts. It has complete vision against foreign illusionists. It counters their baseless allegations with reason, logic and objectivity. It always digs hard to come up with more credible facts and figure and reached to reality.
It is the matter of carbon footnotes or water security, consumer rights or irresponsible advertising, endangered species or environment public awareness, the UAE media in general and the National Media Council in particular always stood first and firm to project all these issues in the country. It is the matter of cultural reinforcement or tradition transition, hotelier or heritage tenacious, NMC always worked hard to maintain its high quality. NMC played an important role to maintain cultural pluralism and spirits of coexistence between different beliefs and cultures. It has been showing keen interest to hold on to its national identity and cultural particularity, including its traditions, norms, values and ways of living.
NMC has been instrumental in winning the hearts and souls in the foreign lands around the globe by greater connectivity, cooperation and coordination. NMC has been hosting and inviting intellectuals, experts, researches, media personnel, writer, reporters and editors to showcase the levels of socio-economic prosperity, political activation, tourism heavens and the last but not the least, corporate entities.
NMC is an independent federal government body established by Federal Law. It oversees the development of media in UAE and to support media initiatives. It has the vision to meet the international standards in media regulation to achieve sustainable development in the country. It has mission of development and regulation of an integrated and distinguished national media system leading to enhancing the UAE’s national and international position through evolving appropriate media policies and regulations and coordinating their implementation in conjunction with relevant parties.
It has values of greater participation by connecting and activating all internal and external channels of communication and building strategic alliances and partnerships with all media stakeholders at national and international levels to achieve common goals are achieving skies. The core essence of the NMC is the utmost professionalism which encourages professional practices through commitment to credibility, efficiency and distinction. It upholds transparency by promoting attitudes and conducts within the organization. It is the icon of truth, straightforwardness and credibility in the delivery of specialised media and information services.
It has the unmatched leadership qualities to be always proactive and innovative in all sectors to achieve sustainable development in the UAE. NMC stands for responsibility and dutifulness by promoting a spirit of responsibility towards the community in all its work sectors. Now due to which the UAE is endowed with an unparalleled viable media scene in terms of the GCC and MENA region.
National Media Council is the most connected organization in the region and around the globe. Every day there any signing ceremony is staged with the other regional and global news agencies and media houses/departments or miniseries. The Emirates News Agency (WAM) has already applied new standards for the development of its online news to achieve the highest degrees of social networking web pages and reach millions of readers and visitors around the world. Due to which WAM is the most visited web on social media. It is most advanced web. It is customer friendly, easy to connect and browsing. Millions of visitors can now follow WAM on Facebook and Twitter and benefit from the flow of news, photographs and television broadcast around the clock to the most important/prominent events and activities of political, economic, cultural, tourist and social development in the UAE. The initiatives of the NMC and WAM to expand online news on the global level, keep pace with the tremendous development in social media and find new outlets for the agency is now paying its dividends. WAM has established a page on Facebook and Twitter to disseminate important news on a daily basis in both Arabic and English, while the number of news.
The NMC’s External Information Department produces publications and other media materials, in several languages, for distribution both inside and outside the UAE, and also provides facilities for foreign media visiting the Emirates.
NMC is also the licensing authority in the country. It follows up on media content and the registration of foreign media correspondents working in the country. It also supervises the import of newspapers, magazines and books from abroad. It is also responsible for the UAE’s participation in international EXPOS, these providing a valuable platform for the introduction of the country’s heritage and progress to audiences overseas. UAE pavilion won the silver medal in the top category of participants. A film produced for the Yeosu EXPO, ‘The Turtle’, promoting marine conservation, won two gold medals at international film festivals in Cannes, France and Dubai, a great achievement by the NMC. In addition to this previously UAE pavilions at international EXPOS have also been medal winners, in Shanghai in 2010 and in Zaragoza, Spain, in 2008.
To further participate in the international EXPOs and project the soft image of the country, the NMC signed a contract to participate in EXPO 2015 in Milan, Italy, in which over 200 countries are expected to take part in October 2012. NMC is also striding to project the Dubai bid to host the 2020 EXPO.
To make it more effective and assertive, H. H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Foreign Minister and Chairman of the National Media Council (NMC) has issued a resolution forming the consultative council of the NMC. It includes officials from media institutions and academics. It will discuss, follow up, and coordinate joint initiatives between NMC and media sector, as well as form sub-committees to enable NMC explain the state’s general media policy media to the media organisations. The new body will review topics referred to it so as to make recommendations ahead of submitting them to the chairman of NMC.
Most recently, the representatives from the National Media Council, (NMC) and the Emirates News Agency, (WAM) met with a delegation of the Dubai Press Club (DPC) and discussed various areas of cooperation including cooperation at the media level to support the government’s drive to choose 2013 as a year of nationalisation, the exchange of experiences, future projects of DPC and the Media office of the Government of Dubai as well as a series of activities and events organised by the club and the NMC throughout the year.
Media has become modern deity which has the power to rock the world and shake the governments. It has capitalistic origin. But in case of United Arab Emirates, it is the ideal combination of modernity and civility. It stands for professionalism and avoids irresponsibleness. It is mouth-organ of common people at large. It protects the native/national culture, preserves traditions, history and heritage through constant produces materials, policies and programs.
National Media Council is a live-wire to generate new ideas of excel, progress, unity, and connectivity. It works for the pride, dignity and comfort of the people. It spreads the message of tolerance, equality and fair play. Now, the role of NMC has been established and consolidated under the supervision of H.E. Ibrahim Al-Abed Director General, NMC.