Doha, May 24 (QNA) - Amid the rapid transformations reshaping the media sector as a result of the digital revolution and the widespread expansion of online platforms, media institutions are facing growing challenges related to the unprecedented speed of news circulation, the overwhelming flow of information, the increasing spread of misinformation, and the evolving ways audiences consume and engage with media content.
Given this reality, news agencies are no longer required only to deliver news quickly; they are also expected to maintain credibility, strengthen trust in information, and develop professional and technological tools in line with the ongoing transformations in the media industry.
Amid this evolving media landscape, Qatar News Agency (QNA) marks the 51st anniversary of its establishment. Since its founding in 1975 under Amiri Decree No. 94, QNA has evolved from its traditional role as the State's official news agency into a multi-platform media institution that keeps pace with technological and professional developments while contributing to conveying the State of Qatar's image and strengthening its media presence locally and internationally.
Over more than five decades, the agency has accompanied the country's political, economic, and cultural journey, conveying its achievements and official positions domestically and abroad. It has relied on a professional legacy rooted in accuracy, credibility, and adherence to editorial standards, which has strengthened its position as a primary source of official news and a cornerstone of Qatar's media landscape.
After laying the foundations for professional and official news work and contributing to documenting the State of Qatar's comprehensive renaissance through words, images, and video, QNA is now moving toward expanding its sphere of influence by leveraging technological advancements and an advanced digital system to strengthen its presence across multiple platforms and languages, while broadening its reach to wider regional and international audiences.
Academics and media experts believe that Qatar News Agency has become one of the most prominent components of the national media scene through its role in conveying the State's positions and covering various stages of its political, economic, and cultural development. They also note its major contribution to strengthening Qatar's international media presence by providing professional news content that reflected the country's transformations and achievements and reinforced its status as the official and primary source for news related to Qatari affairs.
In this context, Associate Dean for Languages, Communications and Translation at the College of Arts and Sciences at Qatar University (QU) Dr. Seeta Naqadan Al Athba said that the 51st anniversary of QNA's establishment should not be viewed merely as an institutional occasion, but rather as part of the memory of national media and of the State of Qatar's journey in building its official discourse and presenting its image to the world with a high degree of balance, professionalism, and responsibility.
She explained that, since its establishment, Qatar News Agency has served as the official voice of the State and a trusted source for communicating its positions, achievements, and developmental progress. She emphasized that the agency has gone beyond merely reporting the news, becoming an institution that has documented the building of the modern state, while closely accompanying Qatar's political, economic, cultural, and social transformations and conveying the country's image to regional and international audiences with professionalism and responsibility.
For his part, Director General of the Qatar Press Center Sadiq Mohammed Al Amari affirmed that QNA has witnessed remarkable development over the past decades, as it moved from merely transmitting brief news reports to a more advanced stage in which it now shapes and comprehensively follows events. He pointed to its intensive and effective presence on digital platforms, which reflects a qualitative evolution in media performance.
Al Amari noted that this development has strengthened the agency's standing within Qatar's media landscape and helped project a positive image of the State of Qatar, its achievements, and official positions locally and internationally. He also highlighted its contribution to supporting the country's development journey and Qatar National Vision 2030, considering the agency a source of pride within media circles due to the professional growth and presence it has achieved in recent years.
Meanwhile, Director of Al Jazeera Media Institute Eman Al Amri said that the journey of Qatar News Agency represents a model for both official and private media institutions that have succeeded in building trust and enhancing the State's news presence regionally and internationally.
She noted that the agency has effectively conveyed the official image of the State and kept pace with media transformations and technological developments without losing its institutional identity, reflecting clarity of vision and continuity in development.
She added that QNA's experience has demonstrated a clear ability to balance institutional stability with adaptability, considering this balance one of the key factors in ensuring the continuity of any credible official media institution, especially amid the rapid transformations taking place globally in the media sector.
 Ph.D. Abdulrahman Al-Shami, Department of Mass Communication at Qatar University, emphasised that throughout its long journey, Qatar News Agency has succeeded in formulating a coherent media discourse that reflects Qatari identity and the country's vision regarding various regional and international issues. This, he said, has strengthened its position as the first and authoritative source for official news related to the State of Qatar, describing it as a fundamental pillar in the structure of Qatari media.
Al-Shami explained that the agency has undergone several transformations that enabled it to move beyond its traditional role as a news transmitter to become a multi-platform digital media institution, more capable of providing balanced coverage, diverse content, and in-depth analyses addressing issues from multiple perspectives, noting that this has placed the agency among leading Arab and regional news agencies. He added that what distinguishes the experience of Qatar News Agency is its ability to adapt to rapid media and political transformations.

The presence of Qatar News Agency throughout its long history has not been limited to consolidating its position as an official source of news; it has also been associated with building a high level of professional trust within the Qatari media landscape. This comes at a time when the challenges of verifying information and combating misinformation are increasing, while the pace of news circulation through digital platforms and social media continues to accelerate.
In an open media environment where sources overlap and narratives multiply, trusted media institutions have come to play a role that goes beyond simply reporting the news to helping protect the information space and strengthen confidence in professional content. This has given official news agencies growing importance as primary references for accurate information.
In this context, Associate Dean for Languages, Communications and Translation. Dr. Seeta Naqadan Al Athba affirmed that the existence of a well-established official news agency provides the media environment with a reliable professional reference and reduces the confusion that may result from the excessive speed of news circulation, especially in the era of open platforms and the constant flow of information.
She added that, from an academic perspective, the Qatar News Agency has played a prominent role in establishing key standards within the Qatari media scene, foremost among them accuracy, reliability, credibility, and commitment to the responsibility that comes with the written and spoken word.
For her part, Director of Al Jazeera Media Institute Eman Al Amri considered Qatar News Agency to have played a pivotal role in reinforcing standards of professionalism within the Qatari media environment through its consistent commitment to accuracy and reliability, and by providing news content based on verification and objectivity.
She said that this role has been reflected in the broader Qatari media landscape, where the agency has served as a professional reference in handling news and has contributed to promoting a culture of adherence to sound editorial standards.
She added that QNA has remained the primary and most trusted source for Qatari media outlets regarding all official news and local events, noting that this role has helped provide press institutions with accurate information that protects them from the dangers of fake news and media disinformation.
Meanwhile, Director General of the Qatar Press Center Sadiq Mohammed Al Amari stressed that Qatar News Agency has, over the years, been associated with the highest standards of professionalism and credibility. He said that news issued by the agency enjoys significant public trust and that any news published through the agency is regarded as accurate and reliable.
He further affirmed that QNA represents one of the important media tools in combating rumors and unverified information thanks to its strict adherence to professional standards, which has positively contributed to strengthening the media environment and consolidating a professional journalistic climate within the country.
In a related context, media technology expert and Associate Professor in Journalism at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies Dr. Walid Al-Saqaf, offered a broader perspective on the role played by official media institutions amid rapid digital transformations. He noted that the journey of Qatar News Agency reflects a gradual transformation from a national agency focused on documenting the country's news into an advanced digital media institution.
He explained that the development of QNA has not been limited to the news aspect alone but has also included strengthening institutional information security by enhancing cybersecurity within secure cloud environments. According to his description, this represents a model of what is academically known as media resilience, contributing to ensuring the digital sovereignty of official discourse, especially as information security is now considered an integral part of national security.

As the global media sector undergoes rapid and transformations, maintaining professionalism and credibility has become closely tied to media institution's ability to modernise their technological tools and adapt to the evolving digital environment. This is especially important amid the growing reliance on online platforms, the expanding presence of multimedia content, and the accelerating integration of AI technologies into media operations.
The evolution taking place in the media industry today extends beyond simply changing publishing tools or strengthening digital presence. It also encompasses how news is produced, processed, and presented to audiences, at a time when media organisations are increasingly required to strike a delicate balance between speed and accuracy, and between leveraging modern technologies and preserving editorial and professional standards.
In this context, Ph.D. Abdulrahman Al-Shami, Department of Mass Communication at Qatar University, said that Qatar News Agency is among the few news agencies in the Arab region that has successfully undergone a major transformation toward a fully integrated digital media environment. Through its modern platforms and professional use of multimedia tools, the agency has been able to offer a rich media experience combining text, images, video, and interactive content, providing users with a comprehensive communication experience.
He added that this transformation reflects the QNA's ability to keep pace with rapid technological developments in the media sector and continuously enhance its digital tools in line with the evolving media landscape and changing audience expectations.
For his part, media technology expert and Associate Professor in Journalism at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies Dr. Walid Al-Saqaf, explained that genuine success in developing the digital environment is not solely linked to producing visual content or upgrading platforms, but also to building secure infrastructure capable of supporting and protecting these tools.
He noted that Qatar News Agency has made significant progress in transitioning toward multimedia journalism, with infographics and video becoming integral parts of its digital presence. More importantly, however, he emphasised the importance of having preventive mechanisms and strategic safeguards to ensure that content is not only fast and visible, but also verified and protected against manipulation and cyberattacks, particularly amid rising geopolitical tensions and the growing risks of misinformation in the digital sphere.
Regarding artificial intelligence, Al-Saqaf described the technology as a double-edged sword. While it offers significant potential to improve the efficiency of journalistic work, it also opens new avenues for misinformation. He suggested that Qatar News Agency could utilize AI for proactive verification of news and data, and for identifying cases that require immediate fact-checking, rather than limiting its use to writing summaries, instant translation, or conventional editorial tasks.
He further stressed that AI should not be confined to generating summaries, translation, or routine editorial functions. Instead, it can be employed to build systems capable of comparing incoming information with verified archives and rapidly assessing data credibility at speeds beyond human capability. Such an approach, he noted, would position AI as a tool that supports journalists rather than replaces them, while ensuring that final editorial decisions remain in the hands of newsroom professionals in accordance with established editorial policies and procedures.
Meanwhile, Associate Dean for Languages, Communications and Translation at the College of Arts and Sciences at Qatar University (QU) Dr. Seeta Naqadan Al Athba stressed that the next phase requires media institutions to strike a careful balance between benefiting from modern technologies in areas such as speed, analysis, archiving, and multilingual content production, while preserving the core principles of journalism based on verification, context, and professional and ethical responsibility.
She explained that artificial intelligence can serve as a supportive tool for journalism, but it cannot replace the conscious editorial mind or human expertise in interpreting news and assessing its impact.
In turn, Director of Al Jazeera Media Institute Eman Al Amri pointed out that technological transformations have significantly changed the nature of skills required in journalism. She said that the profession is no longer limited to traditional news writing, but now also includes producing multi-platform content, handling data, and utilizing AI tools for gathering and analyzing information.

Alongside this technological evolution, the need has emerged to prepare media professionals capable of navigating the demands of the modern digital environment, combining both journalistic and technical expertise in response to the rapid transformations reshaping the media sector.
This was emphasized by the Director of Al Jazeera Media Institute Eman Al Amri, who stressed that the presence of a well-established national news agency is a fundamental pillar of any integrated media ecosystem, as it provides a reliable news reference that supports professional standards and contributes to the stability of media discourse.
From the perspective of training and developing national media talent, Al Amri explained that Qatar News Agency is committed to involving journalists and editors in training courses and professional development programs aimed at enhancing their skills and helping them keep pace with technological advancements and the evolving nature of media coverage across different publishing platforms and target audiences.
She also pointed to the ongoing collaboration between the agency and Al Jazeera Media Institute in organizing successful training courses and programs designed to improve efficiency and elevate professional performance at all levels.
Al Amri added that investment in continuous training and professional development represents a cornerstone in advancing media institutions, as it strengthens the readiness of media professionals to adapt to rapidly evolving technological and professional changes while fostering a culture of continuous learning within organizations.
Ph.D. Abdulrahman Al-Shami, Department of Mass Communication at Qatar University, affirmed that training plays a vital role in transferring skills and expertise between successive generations of journalists, particularly within institutions that possess extensive professional experience and accumulated knowledge, such as Qatar News Agency.
He underlined that Qatar News Agency is considered one of the country's key training destinations for journalism and media students, helping bridge the gap between theoretical study and practical application in an effective manner.
Meanwhile, media technology expert and Associate Professor in Journalism at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies Dr. Walid Al-Saqaf noted that the nature of journalism in the digital age now requires skills that go far beyond traditional writing and editing, encompassing areas such as cybersecurity, fact-checking, data analysis, and the use of digital verification tools.
He stressed that academic and media institutions must work together to ensure that the next generation of journalists possesses the skills necessary to keep pace with the modern media environment, highlighting the importance of training journalists in proactive fact-checking tools, source protection, and understanding metadata
Associate Dean for Languages, Communications and Translation at the College of Arts and Sciences at Qatar University (QU) Dr. Seeta Naqadan Al Athba, underscored the importance of strengthening cooperation between the university and national media institutions foremost among them Qatar News Agency through field training, joint programs, hosting experts, and aligning university curricula with the needs of the media, translation, and communication sectors.
She explained that while universities play a central role in equipping students with academic knowledge and methodological foundations, media institutions provide students and graduates with practical experience and direct exposure to the pace and responsibilities of the profession.
As the international media presence of countries becomes increasingly important, media experts believe that the role of news agencies is no longer limited to transmitting official news. It is now also tied to their ability to project a country's image abroad across multiple languages and platforms and strengthen its presence within the global media landscape.
In this context, Dr. Seeta Naqadan Al Athba stressed that languages and translation have become essential components of modern news agency operations, noting that news content is no longer directed solely at local audiences, but now crosses borders, cultures, and diverse media systems.
She added that Qatar News Agency has significant opportunities to strengthen its regional and international presence in the coming years by expanding multilingual content, diversifying digital storytelling formats, investing in national and media archives, and building academic and professional partnerships. She also highlighted the agency's potential to strengthen its role in areas where Qatar has become an influential actor, including diplomacy, mediation, development, culture, sports, and humanitarian work.
Dr. Walid Al-Saqaf believes that Qatar News Agency has substantial opportunities to reinforce its leadership as a global model in information integrity and multilingual communication, particularly amid growing challenges related to misinformation and manipulation of digital content.
Al-Saqaf added that the agency's direct and simultaneous multilingual communication capabilities enable it to convey Qatar's voice to global audiences with greater accuracy and impact. He noted that the agency possesses the qualities needed to become a news agency for the digital future, combining media professionalism, technological advancement, and the ability to protect information and strengthen trust in news content.
He further pointed out that Qatar's expanding international role creates promising opportunities for the agency to enhance its global presence, whether through hosting specialised events on artificial intelligence and media misinformation or by developing an Arab media model built on accuracy, credibility, and proactive engagement with rapidly evolving events.
Similarly, Ph.D. Abdulrahman Al-Shami stressed that there are several areas on which Qatar News Agency can focus to strengthen its regional and international presence, including expanding international partnerships, enhancing multilingual journalistic content, and increasing digital production in line with rapid technological developments and the needs of younger generations.
Eman Al Amri said that Qatar News Agency possesses significant opportunities to expand its influence and visibility in the coming years, particularly in developing digital content, broadening distribution across various platforms, and utilizing modern technologies to improve the efficiency of news production and dissemination.
She added that another important opportunity lies in strengthening partnerships with international media institutions and reaching broader audiences through diverse multilingual content, noting that such efforts would reinforce the agency's regional and international standing and further enhance its influence within the media landscape. Qatar News Agency is entering a new phase focused on expanding its digital presence and multilingual news services in line with rapid global media and AI-driven technological developments.
Earlier in May, QNA announced the launch of its news services in three new languages” Russian, Hindi, and Urdu using AI technologies. This brought the total number of languages in which the agency provides news services to eight, after previously offering services in Arabic, English, French, German, and Spanish.
This expansion reflects a clear direction toward strengthening the agency's international presence and broadening the reach of its news services to a more diverse global audience by engaging linguistic spheres that represent a large segment of audiences in Asia, Europe, and other regions of the world.
This multilingual expansion is gaining increasing importance in light of the growing role of news agencies as key instruments for conveying the official narrative of states and communicating their positions abroad directly and rapidly.
The multiplicity of languages also enhances the agency's ability to deliver reliable news content more quickly and extensively, reducing information gaps and keeping pace with the accelerating flow of news in the digital environment.
The use of AI in delivering news services in the new languages represents an extension of the technological development plan that the agency began implementing in recent years. The aim is to benefit from modern technologies in supporting news operations, improving the efficiency of content production and distribution, accelerating access to information, and maintaining the professional and editorial standards associated with the agency since its establishment.
During its golden jubilee celebration last year, Qatar News Agency reaffirmed its commitment to digital transformation by modernizing its platforms and expanding the use of AI in its news services and digital applications to keep pace with changes in the media industry.
As part of this path, the agency launched a new phase of cooperation with Microsoft in October 2024 to expand the use of artificial intelligence (AI) applications across its various departments. In December of the same year, it also launched its revamped website and mobile application based on the latest digital technologies, equipping the site with an AI chatbot and new digital services aimed at facilitating access to news content and improving user experience.
QNA also continued developing its presence across digital platforms and social media, while expanding its digital content services in various forms, including infographics, video, and video graphics, alongside multimedia news coverage combining text, images, and video in a manner consistent with the transformations taking place in digital media and the evolving ways audiences consume content.
Qatar News Agency further strengthened its presence in the field of media innovation by winning the Innovation in the Use of Artificial Intelligence in News award in June 2024, in recognition of its efforts to employ AI technologies within its news ecosystem. This reflects its orientation toward developing media work tools and utilizing modern technologies to support the production of news content.
The agency's development efforts also extended to training, qualification, and enhancing the efficiency of national media personnel through organizing specialized courses and programs in artificial intelligence, digital journalism, information verification, and digital platform content analysis, in line with the new requirements of media work in the modern digital environment.
In May 2025, the agency's efforts also stood out in strengthening Gulf media integration through its initiative to launch the unified application for Gulf news agencies, supported by AI technologies. The application enables users to access official news from trusted sources through a unified platform in both Arabic and English, reflecting a trend toward employing modern technology in developing Gulf media cooperation.
As Qatar News Agency marks the 51st anniversary of its establishment, it continues a journey that, for more than five decades, has been linked to keeping pace with the country's political, economic, and cultural transformations, while conveying its positions and achievements locally and internationally. It relies on accumulated professional and institutional experience that has strengthened its standing as the official source of news and one of the most prominent pillars of the Qatari media landscape.
Amid the rapid professional and technological transformations taking place in the media sector, QNA continues to develop its tools and media services, expand its presence across digital platforms, and benefit from modern technologies in producing and developing content. This is aimed at keeping pace with changing patterns of news consumption and enhancing its ability to provide integrated professional content that maintains accuracy and reliability while responding to the requirements of the modern media environment.
Between a professional legacy spanning more than five decades and the demands of an era marked by accelerating media and technological transformations, Qatar News Agency continues to consolidate its presence as a national media institution that combines experience with innovation. It seeks to keep pace with the rapid changes in the media industry while preserving its professional mission founded on accuracy, reliability, and adherence to editorial standards since its official launch on May 25, 1975. (QNA)