Al-Ahsa Gov. Prince Saud bin Talal bin Badr attended the forum, in which three panels — “Media and Development,” “Economic Media” and “Pioneering Media Experiences” — examined different strands of the theme “Future Economy” AL-AHSA: The Gulf Economic Media Forum launched on Tuesday in Saudi Arabia’s Al-Ahsa, with a hall full of media personalities, economists and entrepreneurs from the Kingdom and neighboring Gulf states. Hosted in the Somewhere Hotel, the day-long forum explored Gulf media coverage of surging regional economies. It came as part of the wider 2023 Al-Ahsa Forum 2023 sponsored by Aramco, which will take place on Feb. 15-16. In cooperation with the Bahrain Public Relations Association and the Al-Ahsa Chamber, the Gulf Economic Media Forum 2023 began fashionably early, 10 minutes before the scheduled start time. The enthusiasm was palpable and almost every seat was occupied, with attendees live tweeting and note-taking. During opening remarks, it was announced that the forum will be held in Bahrain next year. Al-Ahsa Gov. Prince Saud bin Talal bin Badr attended the forum, in which three panels — “Media and Development,” “Economic Media” and “Pioneering Media Experiences” — examined different strands of the theme “Future Economy.” One of the goals of the forum was to develop a robust community to support economic growth and its documentation in the media as part of Saudi Vision 2030. Media personalities from Gulf states including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Oman, Kuwait and Bahrain were on hand to offer expert insights and open the dialog. Attendees were encouraged to ask questions and engage in conversation following the panel discussions. The first session, moderated by TV presenter Salah Al-Ghaydan, featured Baina Al-Mulhim, Ahmed Al-Shezawi, Barakat Al-Wegyan and Dr. Lulwa Budalamah. The discussion examined the issue of quality over quantity in news reporting. Budalamah noted that Turki Al-Sheikh, General Authority for Entertainment chairman, has 6.3 million followers on Twitter — more than the Saudi Press Agency’s account, which has 2.2 million. This indicates that social media has a “huge pull” that must be used with integrity, Budalamah added. Social media can be used a “soft power,” panelists said. Citizen journalists who offer good reporting can be promoted through algorithms, prioritizing them on user timelines, they added. Panelists said that traditional media publications should also strive to join the online conversation through balanced reporting and accuracy. The second and third panels were moderated by two powerhouse women in media: Taghrid Al-Howish and Roaa Rayan. The forum highlighted Vision 2030 efforts to encourage the participation of women in the Saudi economy, including the media sector. In a statement, Abdulaziz Saleh Al-Mousa, chairman of the Chamber Board, said: “The forum comes within the framework of Al-Ahsa Forum 2023, organized by the chamber together with the strategic partner Aramco, under the auspices of Prince Saud bin Nayef bin Abdulaziz, Eastern Region governor.” For a complete list of speakers and to follow along live, visit the Al-Ahsa Forum pages.