UAE Forms National Media Authority to Centralize Media Oversight
The move aligns with broader UAE initiatives, such as the Bridge Summit 2025, aiming to position the UAE as a media and content innovation hub.
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The United Arab Emirates government on Thursday announced the establishment of a new federal body, the National Media Authority.
With legal personality, financial and administrative independence, and full legal capacity, the new entity will consolidate the national media strategy; standardize media policy across federal and local entities; and align domestic media with national and international standards.
The National Media Authority (NMA) will replace the UAE Media Council, the National Media Office, and the Emirates News Agency (WAM) in their functions, rights, obligations, and legislative texts, thereby consolidating the country’s media regulatory framework under a single entity.
Key responsibilities of the NMA will include proposing UAE media strategies and ensuring alignment across organizations (federal/local levels); boosting its international reputation, monitoring media narratives, and managing crises with relevant authorities; and drafting legislation for licensing media outlets/activities (including digital and free zones).
NMA will also be liable for setting content standards, monitoring all printed, published, posted, and broadcast materials (including free zones); registering and accrediting media professionals and foreign correspondents (including free zones); and supplying media outlets with compliant news, articles, reports, and photos per journalistic standards.
This aligns with broader UAE initiatives, such as the Bridge Summit 2025, which aims to position the UAE as a hub for media and content innovation.
It will also work as a response unit to any potential media crisis, proactively supporting early detection of such crises that can arise from digital media threats, negative or misleading content, and/or fake news.
Additionally, the Emirates News Agency, established in 1976, will be developed as the official channel to support the publication, distribution, and translation of officially approved news.
The plan will include building a global network of correspondents and international media offices; end-to-end management of multilingual content for worldwide reach; and training and developing the next generation of Emirati media professionals.
