The media can provide a voice for people and different opinions are needed to make informed decisions, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, said yesterday during a meeting with the chief executive of the international news agency, Agence France-Presse.
During the talk with Emmanuel Hoog, Sheikh Mohammed "asserted that the UAE doesn't only open its welcoming arm to media organs, but also allows enough room for freedom of movement and work without any restrictions", reported the state news agency Wam.
Sheikh Mohammed and Mr Hoog discussed how to "energise the role of media" in economic development and as a way to bridge cultures in a discussion on regional and international political and economic issues.
Wam reported that Mr Hoog was impressed with Sheikh Mohammed's "appreciation of the media establishments" that give news "without bias or misleading public opinion".
Mr Hoog "said the UAE is ranked among the most advanced countries regionally and internationally in terms of media, its technology and its noble message", Wam said.
The United Arab Emirates is ranked at 112, after South Sudan and Liberia on the Reporters Without Borders list published in January.