The lecture gives a brief overview of the vision of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan (may God rest his soul in peace) on the vital role played by the media in nation-building. When Sheikh Zayed took power in Abu Dhabi in 1966 and proceeded with building a modern emirate, he initiated plans for the creation of mainstream media platforms. He inaugurated Abu Dhabi Radio, Abu Dhabi Television, and launched Al-Ittihad Newspaper in 1969.
Abu Dhabi Television was made part of the Ministry of Information and Culture, and Sheikh Zayed asked for TV crews to be present at all political, social and economic events, as well as most projects and meetings on the creation of the Union. Therefore, he valued the media’s coverage of the unification, and this extended to other events, visits, tours and Arab issues. The lecture will touch on this, reflecting on his thoughts and vision as the first to champion the role of Arab media in strengthening the Union, and solving Arab problems.