No one disagrees on the importance of the media and its pivotal role in our daily lives, and the extent of its influence on the trends of public opinion. Today, digital media is an essential guest and influential player in society in its various local and foreign arenas, not to mention its touch with the emotional side of all users and the extent to which recipients and followers are affected by everything that is presented on community communication arenas and platforms.
Amidst all this follow-up and the addiction that some people have to those websites, most of whose news does not pass through any filters or portals to verify the authenticity of the news being circulated on their accounts, the need has become urgent and even necessary to enact legislation and laws that guarantee privacy for individuals and societies, and at the same time guarantee freedom of expression in exchange for the professionalism of presentation that, unfortunately, has become absent from some, and also places that media within the legal framework for those who exercise their role as content creators and transmitters of news.
In the midst of this open space, it was necessary to have a framework that regulates this amount of flowing news, scattered viewpoints, and irresponsible publications that could be the source of the destruction of the family, society, and thus nations. In this area, we have many disastrous examples, and the official and responsible media agencies are now only concerned with working to reduce the rumors and false information that some of the moderators of these accounts deliberately spread for private purposes or without realizing it at other times.
The press law approved by the House of Representatives and the Shura Council will contribute to preserving the rights of workers in the field of digital media, especially for those who make integrity, verification, and patriotism the highest goal in the law for managing their account or news website. This law will support professionalism and adherence to media codes of honor, and will reach its desired result, which is to strengthen confidence between the public and these platforms that have invaded our homes, our communities, and our countries. It is a regulatory legislation that guarantees freedoms and at the same time prevents abuses. The media is not a responsibility. Chaos, professional commitment is a foundation, not a luxury, and conveying the news is a trust that everyone must have.
The hope we seek through this law is to reach a clear, responsible, motivating and encouraging media environment for the emergence of sober and balanced Bahraini digital media institutions that exercise their role with complete freedom in accordance with advanced systems and laws that keep pace with everything new in the world of media, thus enhancing the Bahraini leadership position in all fields, and supporting the Kingdom’s image as a supporter of freedom of speech and sober professional media.
The lofty royal vision, accompanied by the government’s keen interest in regulating the press and media, is considered one of the national gains achieved by Bahrain’s future vision. From this free journalistic platform, we call on all news accounts and digital content makers to interact positively with the law, which came to confirm that the media is a major partner in development, and the engine of the wheels of the economy, sustainability, development, and advancement.
