Okaz

The fear of the death of print journalism has now been followed by the fear of new media itself dying. New media is also suffering from a lack of finance and professionalism. Its weak contribution to the economy threatens the existence of media professionals.

In the latest crisis, new media proved to be weak in dealing with developing events and effectively influencing public opinion. Many of the strict professional standards adhered to by traditional media have disappeared in the face of news accounts that rely more on advertising than news itself.

The media that our enemies directed against us was isolated and exposed. As a result, they created more lies using the tools of new media. In the case of the murder of former Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, it was as if those orchestrating the media against us were dancing naked on a stage while some politicians looked as if they were dancing to the rhythm of the same music.

Unfortunately, those who undermined the disappearance of the tools of traditional media did not realize that the real threat was in the creation of media content and not the tools of publishing or broadcasting.

It is time to reconsider and pay more attention to the importance of supporting and saving our media, before society loses one its most important tools for spreading awareness and shaping public opinion.