Advertising network MCN launches influencer practice in Mideast

NEW YORK: Last year was the deadliest for journalists in recent history, with at least 124 reporters killed — and Israel responsible for nearly 70 percent of that total, the Committee to Protect Journalists reported Wednesday.
The uptick in killings, which marks a 22 percent increase over 2023, reflects “surging levels of international conflict, political unrest and criminality worldwide,” the CPJ said.
It was the deadliest year for reporters and media workers since CPJ began keeping records more than three decades ago, with journalists murdered across 18 different countries, it said.
A total of 85 journalists died in the Israeli-Hamas war, “all at the hands of the Israeli military,” the CPJ said, adding that 82 of them were Palestinians.
Sudan and Pakistan recorded the second highest number of journalists and media workers killed, with six each.
In Mexico, which has a reputation as one of the most dangerous countries for reporters, five were killed, with CPJ reporting it had found “persistent flaws” in Mexico’s mechanisms for protecting journalists.
And in Haiti, where two reporters were murdered, widespread violence and political instability have sown so much chaos that “gangs now openly claim responsibility for journalist killings,” the report said.
Other deaths took place in countries such as Myanmar, Mozambique, India and Iraq.
“Today is the most dangerous time to be a journalist in CPJ’s history,” said the group’s CEO Jodie Ginsberg.
“The war in Gaza is unprecedented in its impact on journalists and demonstrates a major deterioration in global norms on protecting journalists,” she said.
CPJ, which has kept records on journalist killings since 1992, said that 24 of the reporters were deliberately killed because of their work in 2024.
Freelancers, the report said, were among the most vulnerable because of their lack of resources, and accounted for 43 of the killings in 2024.
The year 2025 is not looking more promising, with six journalists already killed in the first weeks of the year, CPJ said.

DUBAI: Traditional and digital media should not be at war, social media star, podcast host and entrepreneur Anas Bukhash has told the World Governments Summit in Dubai.

During a session called “How to build a social media empire in Dubai” he explained: “I think it (traditional and digital media) should be a marriage and a good marriage, not a miserable marriage. If you have a good marriage … and they talk to each other nicely, it’s the most powerful combination rather than having either-or.”

He added he established his social media success by being consistent.

“I think a lot of things have to align, considering your consistency, your effort, your skill. All of it has to come together for you to be successful. And we've been doing it for ... we haven’t missed a Tuesday I think in like five years or six,” he said.

With more than 2 million subscribers, Bukhash’s show, AB Talks, is one of the most popular channels in the Arab world.

“When I presented my concept to some social media platforms, when I wanted to start back in 2014, everybody told me not to do it. Every platform told me nobody would watch it. It’s too long. Because at the time no Arabic interviews were long form,” he explained.

Bukhash said he valued longevity over virality in all his projects.

“Every startup I’ve done, I just do it well and I do it consistently and then suddenly it blows up. And I think people respect that more than somebody who just got viral because of one interview or one clip,” he added.

After studying mechanical engineering, Bukhash decided he wanted to branch out into other areas. He says he enjoys wearing many different hats rather than being stuck on one path.

“I’ve always looked at things and thought, how can I make it better or solve a problem for people? It’s funny how a mechanical engineer has an interview show, a hair salon, a cafe, a social media agency. But that’s the beauty of us as people. I always say, how can you sell something if you don’t believe it? You have to believe it,” he said.

“God made you so multi-dimensional. You just made yourself one dimension, but you were never born in one dimension. I love the fact that I can be one example of someone who can do a few things although I study something irrelevant.”

Bukhash said social media could be a powerful tool to help with storytelling and show people what was happening around the world — especially in recent times.

“In the US, young people have seen the tragedy and the conflict in Gaza in a way they were never able to see several years ago … You don’t have to be from a certain country to see what happens in Gaza, what happens in Lebanon, what happens in so many countries. You just have to be human to know that something is off,” he said.