The first section of this issue is devoted to the event that the Arab States Broadcasting Union (ASBU) organized at the beginning of the new year 2021, namely the holding of the fortieth session of the General Assembly, which was unusual due to the continuing outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic that affected the world and disoriented radio and TV production systems.
The General Assembly convened, as mentioned by Director General Eng. Abderrahim Suleiman, using the Zoom application, and it was an occasion to deepen the consideration of the ASBU 2021working plan’s most prominent features that shape the future orientations. The endeavor to develop appropriate strategies imposed by the nature of the new situation was evident, allowing the implementation of the bulk of the activities and projects scheduled for the past year.
The ASBU Director General highlighted the success of the professional debate organized on the occasion of the General Assembly on "Media at the Time of Crisis: Checks and Balances ", which brought together a distinguished elite of university and professional figures in the Arab world and Europe. Remote participants brought forward a diversity of experiences and good practices on how media dealt with the pandemic.
Among the important features in debate was the academic reference study commissioned by ASBU on “Arab media efforts to deal with the Corona pandemic. It has monitored the effects of the epidemic crisis on the work, production and news systems of Arab radio and television corporations. Exceptional measures had been taken by setting up action plans to overcome the repercussions of the crisis and develop efficient future programs for times of crisis.
We can also read in this issue a number of articles on the following topics:
• Social media platforms and the impact of the Corona pandemic in the Arab environment: "Between raising awareness of risks, challenges and fighting the spread of rumors".
• The Corona pandemic is shifting from traditional to digital media: The ASBU cloud platform keeps pace with the event.
• Mechanisms for dealing with fake news from a legal perspective.
• Listeners and viewers research and challenges of the communication revolution.
• Considering the audiovisual crisis in Tunisia.
• Terrorist organizations: Do they prefer television or social media?
The Review’s technology section reviews the latest developments in communication technology, including: The G6 development.