State Minister for Media Affairs Faisal Shboul said on Sunday that the Russian-Ukrainian crisis revealed a 'new reality' regarding the relationship with the media and freedom of expression, noting that Eastern and Western European countries stopped communicating through the media after the outbreak of the war.

In a speech during the opening session of a conference organized by UNESCO in Amman entitled 'Journalism Under Siege,' the minister said that the parties in Eastern and Western Europe 'closed the means of communication through the media. None of them wanted to hear the other. Social media also entered the war.'

'Are freedoms proportional to prosperity and peace? Why did social media enter war? Is it permissible for social media to be part of propaganda when it originally took upon itself to maintain communication between humanity?!', Shboul asked.

The minister spoke about the Kingdom's efforts with regard to media and information education, noting that the first phase of a project to train teachers in public schools, as well as faculty members in universities on media and information education, has ended with the training of 650 faculty members.

The minister, who is the government spokesman, began his speech at the conference celebrating World Press Freedom Day 2022, by inviting the attendees to observe a minute of silence in memory of the Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh.

Shboul said that the Israeli police's attack on Abu Akleh's funeral is evidence of the violations committed by the occupation authorities on the occupied Palestinian land. The minister said that today marks the anniversary of the Palestinian Nakba at a time when Israel is still depriving the people of Palestine of establishing their state on their national soil.

 State Minister for Media Affairs Faisal Shboul said on Sunday that the Russian-Ukrainian crisis revealed a 'new reality' regarding the relationship with the media and freedom of expression, noting that Eastern and Western European countries stopped communicating through the media after the outbreak of the war.

In a speech during the opening session of a conference organized by UNESCO in Amman entitled 'Journalism Under Siege,' the minister said that the parties in Eastern and Western Europe 'closed the means of communication through the media. None of them wanted to hear the other. Social media also entered the war.'

'Are freedoms proportional to prosperity and peace? Why did social media enter war? Is it permissible for social media to be part of propaganda when it originally took upon itself to maintain communication between humanity?!', Shboul asked.

The minister spoke about the Kingdom's efforts with regard to media and information education, noting that the first phase of a project to train teachers in public schools, as well as faculty members in universities on media and information education, has ended with the training of 650 faculty members.

The minister, who is the government spokesman, began his speech at the conference celebrating World Press Freedom Day 2022, by inviting the attendees to observe a minute of silence in memory of the Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh.

Shboul said that the Israeli police's attack on Abu Akleh's funeral is evidence of the violations committed by the occupation authorities on the occupied Palestinian land. The minister said that today marks the anniversary of the Palestinian Nakba at a time when Israel is still depriving the people of Palestine of establishing their state on their national soil.