Qatar’s media landscape, which has grown leaps and bounds over the years, will be further enriched with the establishment of a dedicated Media City.

Earlier in May, His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani had approved the law for the formation of the Media City.

In an interview with TRT World’s Strait Talk, Director of the Government Communications Office (GCO) His Excellency Sheikh Saif bin Ahmed bin Saif Al Thani said the attraction of the Media City will be that it will have no editorial limits.

"There will be a code of ethics, which would make media outlets that come to Qatar to be responsible for what they say and for their actions. There will be no limitations on any outlets, and that the code of ethics is built on responsible media,” he stated.

Director of the Government Communications Office said that the attraction point of Media City will be that it will have no editorial limits. There will be a code of ethics. HE stressed that there will be no limitations on any outlets. #QNA

— Qatar News Agency (@QNAEnglish) July 28, 2019

Foreign countries will not be able to take any legal action against the editorial content of a Media City-based outlet in Qatar, HE Sheikh Saif said, adding that they could do that at the media outlet's headquarters.

HE Sheikh Saif underlined some reasons that went into Qatar’s decision of creating the Media City.

Speaking about the evolvement of media from the ‘60s with the launch of radio and TV broadcasts to the second phase in the 80s and 90s where several local intellectuals started to voice their opinions in newspapers, HE Sheikh Said said the state recognized that media served as a platform for people to communicate.

He further spoke about phase three of media development from the mid-'90s to 2004, which saw the establishment of Al Jazeera, as well as sports and cultural TV channels Al Kaas and Al Rayyan TV, respectively.

In response to a question on whether the decision to establish the Media City came after the diplomatic crisis began, HE Sheikh Saif said that the research for the project had already commenced in 2005, with a team established in 2008 to implement it.

The implementation was delayed as Qatar was still establishing Al Jazeera and the other channels.

"Now Al Jazeera has become an international network that built its name thanks to the efforts of the independent journalists who were given all the space and creativity to do their own shows.  Al Jazeera's motto "The Opinion and The Other Opinion" is a reflection of that,” he said.

Director of the Government Communications Office said that the blockading countries started the blockade and they can end it. HE then stressed that Qatar is not an easy target as it is an independent country that has a leader that is followed in HH the Amir. #QNA

— Qatar News Agency (@QNAEnglish) July 28, 2019

With regards to the Media City, the GCO director said 33 agreements with media technology-based companies have already been signed.

The Media City can be thought of as three different categories: TV channels, publications, and social media, the GCO director said.

"Social media is the upcoming new media, and that is why Media City will focus on it. One of the initiatives will be to build small studios where any blogger or social media influencer will have everything they need to create their videos and edit them for free,” he said.

In exchange for providing them with the latest technologies, they [media professionals] could give lectures in one of the universities in Qatar.

Director of the Government Communications Office said that the country builds bilateral relations based on mutual respect, and believes in the importance of dialogue, noting that Qatar played the role of mediators in different matters throughout the region and beyond. #QNA

— Qatar News Agency (@QNAEnglish) July 28, 2019

HE the GCO director stressed that the move was not a reaction to the diplomatic crisis, but rather an indication that the country is moving forward.

The crisis was behind the state and now Qatar is moving forward with strengthening bilateral ties with countries all over the world.

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Source: QNA

Cover Image Credit: Qatar Tribune