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‘Who tells the future?’ Media leaders gather in Dubai to find out

The session marked the first of its kind held during the Dubai Future Forum, the world’s largest gathering on future foresight taking place at the Museum of the Future from Nov. 18 – 19. (AN/File)
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Updated 17 November 2025
Arab News
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‘Who tells the future?’ Media leaders gather in Dubai to find out

  • Powered by Arab News, roundtable is held as part of the Dubai Future Forum
Updated 17 November 2025
Arab News

DUBAI: Regional newspaper editors, heads of TV stations and media industry leaders, as well as experts in artificial intelligence, gathered in Dubai for a roundtable discussion on the future of media amid recent technological advancements.

The session, powered by Arab News during the Dubai Future Forum, was moderated by Noor Nugali, deputy editor in chief of Arab News.

Panelists discussed the opportunities and challenges posed by emerging technologies on the media landscape, as well as future trends.

The ethical implications of AI for journalism, advertising, communications, and content creation across the Arab world were also discussed.

HE Khalfan Belhoul, CEO, Dubai Future Foundation, said: “Technology continues to redefine how information is created, shared, and trusted, and the role of the media has become more critical than ever. This roundtable brings together leading voices within the industry to foster dialogue that strengthens trust, advances meaningful regulation, and empowers the media to shape a more informed, resilient, and future-ready society.

“By bringing this roundtable into the Dubai Future Forum’s ecosystem, we ensure that conversations about the future of media are integrated into wider global discussions shaping the years ahead.”

Editor-in-Chief of Arab News Faisal J. Abbas said: “We are pleased to partner with the DFF for this gathering of media leaders from across the region to discuss the future of our industry. Together, we can shape the future.

“Such initiatives are particularly important for us as our newspaper marks its 50th anniversary this year, and it is crucial to interact with thought leaders such as the Dubai Future Foundation to get exposed to upcoming trends, solutions and even challenges,” added Abbas, as Arab News recently announced its partnership with CAMB.AI to launch its news site in 50 different languages.

The session’s participants included Mina Al-Oraibi, editor in chief of The National; Nayla Tueni, CEO and editor in chief of Lebanon-based An-Nahar and An-Nahar Al Arabi; Pierre Choueiri, chairman and CEO of the Choueri Group; Elda Choucair, CEO of Omnicom Media Group (MENA); Nabeel Al-Khatib, general manager at Asharq News Services; Avneesh Prakash, CEO of CAMB.AI; Rashid Al-Marri, director of the Media Analytics Center at the Government of Dubai Media Office; Julien Hawari, CEO of Million; Mazen Hayek, adviser to senior officials and CEOs in cleantech, tech, media and telecommunications; and Mamoon Sbeih, president of APCO, MENA region.

The session marked the first of its kind held during the Dubai Future Forum, the world’s largest gathering on future foresight taking place at the Museum of the Future from Nov. 18 – 19.

Hosted by the Dubai Future Foundation, this year’s event centered on the impact of AI and emerging technologies across society, featuring government officials, global experts, academics, technologists, and innovators.

Topics: Dubai Future Forum

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Study finds nearly half of UK news stories on Muslims show signs of bias

Updated 09 March 2026
Arab News
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Study finds nearly half of UK news stories on Muslims show signs of bias

  • Centre for Media Monitoring finds 20,000 out of 40,913 articles from 30 major news outlets contain bias and 70% link Muslims to negative behaviors or themes
  • Findings reveal ‘deeply concerning evidence of structural bias’ in portrayal of Muslims by UK press and point to ‘systemic problem’ within the media, says center’s director
Updated 09 March 2026
Arab News

LONDON: Nearly half of news articles published in the UK in 2025 that referenced Muslims or Islam contained some degree of bias, according to a report issued on Monday by the Centre for Media Monitoring. It also found that about 70 percent of stories linked Muslims to negative behaviors or themes.

The nonprofit organization, which tracks the ways in which Muslims and Islam are portrayed in the media, examined 40,913 articles from 30 major news outlets and found that about 20,000 showed some form of bias.

The study looked at “structural patterns” in coverage that “shape public narratives” about Muslims amid rising hostility toward the community.

“As the largest study of its kind ever conducted in the UK, this report presents deeply concerning evidence of structural bias in how Muslims are portrayed in the UK press,” said Rizwana Hamid, the director of the organization.

It found that 70 percent of the articles it reviewed highlighted negative aspects related to Muslims, though not all of the stories were biased in themselves. The wider patterns were also troubling: 44 percent of the coverage omitted key context, 17 percent relied on generalizations, and 13 percent included outright misrepresentation.

Taken together, the monitoring center said, the findings amounted to evidence of an “information integrity crisis” that distorts public understanding, and “a deeply concerning trend” in reporting on Muslims.

The research points to a “systemic problem within our media ecosystem,” Hamid said.

“When entire communities are repeatedly framed through lenses of suspicion or threat, it inevitably shapes public attitudes, political debate and the everyday lives of British Muslims,” she added.

News brands targeting right-wing audiences were more likely to produce biased coverage, the report found.

The Spectator magazine and GB News were identified as having the highest proportion of “very biased” articles, and as the “worst across all five bias categories”: negative framing, generalizations, misrepresentation, lack of context, and problematic headlines.

Other outlets highlighted for displaying high levels of biased content about Muslims included The Telegraph, The Jewish Chronicle, Daily Express, The Sun, Daily Mail and The Times.

In contrast, the BBC, other broadcasters and left-leaning outlets recorded the lowest rates of bias in the study.

The research comes as British Muslims report rising levels of discrimination. Official figures published in October revealed that religious hate crimes against Muslims rose by 19 percent in the year to March 2025 compared with the previous 12 months.

Topics: UK Muslim community Centre for Media Monitoring

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