Islamabad Seeks Partnerships with Riyadh to Boost Digital Media Production, Content Quality

Pakistan’s Minister of Information Attaullah Tarar. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Pakistan’s Minister of Information Attaullah Tarar. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Islamabad Seeks Partnerships with Riyadh to Boost Digital Media Production, Content Quality

Pakistan’s Minister of Information Attaullah Tarar. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Pakistan’s Minister of Information Attaullah Tarar. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Pakistan’s Minister of Information Attaullah Tarar emphasized his country’s commitment to forming partnerships with Saudi Arabia to enhance digital media production, journalism, content creation, and new media business models.

He also highlighted the importance of digital transformation and financial sustainability in the modern media landscape, noting that the Saudi Media Forum in Riyadh introduced innovative initiatives and comprehensive solutions to contemporary challenges.

Tarar told Asharq Al-Awsat that Islamabad and Riyadh share strong historical and cultural ties. He praised Saudi Arabia for its forward-thinking initiatives that promote prosperity, economic growth, and increased commercial activities.

Tarar expressed his desire to strengthen cooperation with the Kingdom, particularly in addressing emerging challenges such as misinformation and fake news facilitated by modern technologies.

Tarar noted that the Saudi Media Forum, which he recently attended in Riyadh, provided a valuable platform to learn from Saudi Arabia’s media expertise and foster collaboration between media sectors while discussing the latest industry trends.

“This is a remarkable step under the Vision 2030 Saudi Arabia which is progressing under the leadership of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Prime Minister,” he remarked.

“Hosting a large number of global leaders in Riyadh for fostering media cooperation to create a livable and sustainable future for our generations especially by mitigating its potentially chaotic challenges such as misinformation and disinformation, fake news, propaganda,” he told Asharq Al-Awsat.

Tarar stressed the need for collaboration among media professionals to tackle issues arising from rapid technological advancements, such as the unethical use of artificial intelligence and deepfake technology.

While technology presents challenges, it also offers solutions, he said, underscoring the need for greater media pluralism—not only to address technological threats but also to defend against cybersecurity risks that could escalate into international conflicts.

“The people gathered here are not merely numbers but brilliant brains who will work together and by sharing knowledge and expertise to counter issues emanating with evolution of technology such unethical use of AI and deep fake,” he remarked.

Furthermore, Tarar urged social media platforms and online content providers to take greater responsibility for the content they host.

He noted: “Social media platforms and online content providers must be held accountable for the content they host. Stricter policies against misinformation and malicious actors, coupled with collaborations with independent fact-checking organizations, can enhance platform integrity.”

“Nations must workout legal frameworks to address the problems of the media evolving in the modern world entailing problems like misinformation and cyber threats,” he urged.

Furthermore, the minister highlighted the importance of raising awareness and instilling individual responsibility among digital media users. He called for large-scale awareness campaigns and joint training programs for content creators to promote ethical media practices and reduce harmful content.

“Awareness creation to inculcate individual responsibility among the people are the main consumer of the content from the platforms of the digital media,” he said. “The users of these platforms must be educated about the harmful content and its implications through massive sensitization campaigns.”

“We must also initiate joint trainings for content creators to equip them with the media ethics that will help a great deal in curbing the virility of harmful content,” he explained.



Paris to Allow Swimming in Seine from July in Olympic Legacy

Swimming in the Seine is seen as a key legacy of the Games. EMMANUEL DUNAND / AFP
Swimming in the Seine is seen as a key legacy of the Games. EMMANUEL DUNAND / AFP
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Paris to Allow Swimming in Seine from July in Olympic Legacy

Swimming in the Seine is seen as a key legacy of the Games. EMMANUEL DUNAND / AFP
Swimming in the Seine is seen as a key legacy of the Games. EMMANUEL DUNAND / AFP

Remember the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics?

The fortnight of intense and memorable sporting competition against the background of iconic landmarks amid brilliant sunshine in the French capital, days that will never be forgotten.

And the constant uncertainty about whether the River Seine would be clean enough to allow the open water swimming and triathlon events to take place.

The organizers set the ambitious goal of staging those events in a river long seen as too polluted for swimming and, despite the occasional hitch when heavy rain increased pollution levels, pulled it off.

Now, fulfilling a key legacy promise from the Games, the Paris authorities this summer are to allow the public to swim from July 5 at three points in the Seine which is now deemed safe for a dip.

"It was an extraordinary moment (in 2024), but swimming during the Games was not an end in itself," Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo told reporters.

"Making the Seine swimmable is first and foremost a response to the objective of adapting to climate change, but also of quality of life," she added.

Parisians and tourists alike will be able to take the plunge at bras Marie in the heart of the historic center, the Grenelle district in the west of Paris, as well as Bercy in the east.

Once a favorite pastime in Paris, swimming in the Seine had been off limits for a century until last year due to the pollution levels.

"This summer, Parisians and tourists will rediscover the joys of swimming in the Seine, a hundred years after it was banned," city hall said in a statement.

Swimming will be supervised and monitored, said Pierre Rabadan, deputy mayor of Paris in charge of sports. The city expects to welcome between 150 and 300 people at any given time at the three sites, which will close for the season at the end of August.

As on beaches, a system of flags -- green, yellow and red -- will make clear the safety of swimming according to the Seine's current and the quality of the water.

The water quality will be closely watched, after high levels of bacteria forced the postponement of some of the competitions on certain days during the Olympics.

Checks will be carried out daily, and swimming may be suspended in the event of rain, said Marc Guillaume, the prefect, the top state-appointed official, of the Ile-de-France region that includes Paris.

He expressed "even more optimism" about water quality than last summer, given the work done on making the river cleaner.