Doha: HE Director-General of Qatar News Agency (QNA) Ahmed bin Saeed Al Rumaihi has hailed the newswire's role in documenting the nation's milestones, creating a sustainable legacy.
According to Qatar News Agency, over a 50-year journey, QNA has covered all Qatar's political, economic, sports, and social events, recording the nation's renaissance and passing it on to generations, as the national wire service marks its 50th anniversary.
QNA was established on May 25, 1975, under an Amiri Decree to kickstart a serious work that has demonstrated the aspirations of dedicated Qatari generations over the years.
Since its inception, QNA has confidently reinforced its position as a leading Arab media outlet, leveraging the latest technologies and AI tools, HE Al Rumaihi said.
Looking back, QNA has kept pace with the latest technology and employed qualified human capital, reaching the pinnacle of excellence in press coverage locally and globally, His Excellency said.
This technology adaptation began with an Amiri Decree on September 13, 2007, regulating its work - a decree that manifested the prudent leadership's interest in empowering the media to perform its role to the fullest. This role includes gathering, analyzing, and distributing reliable local and foreign news, thereby boosting media awareness and professionalism across the country.
His Excellency added the scope includes local news along with GCC, Arab, and global stories, in accordance with its strictly followed standards of credibility and accuracy. Its bulletin presents news stories supported by photos and videos.
To further leverage the recent digital media technology, added His Excellency, QNA has inked many bilateral cooperation agreements with key AI-specialized institutions, making the agency closer to its audience than ever before. He also highlighted the launch of the newswire's revamped five-language website, offering unprecedented journalistic and media services.
Also part of the digitalization were the launch of QNA's accounts on social media platforms like Facebook, X, Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat, along with its own channels on YouTube and WhatsApp.
Keeping an eye on human capital as a key pillar of modernization and development, QNA has remained committed to training and qualifying journalists in cooperation and partnership with all state institutions, His Excellency added.
To foster its regional and global presence, HE Al Rumaihi added, the wire service launched many initiatives, primarily the pilot launch of an AI-driven and multi-feature news app that collects all GCC news in one single platform. This has enhanced the quality and speed of news transmission and achieved media integration among GCC countries.
HE Al Rumaihi concluded that QNA has been beefing up its position among Gulf, Arab, and international news agencies through numerous cooperation and news exchange agreements with its counterparts worldwide.