Marib Hosts Symposium on “The Role of Media in Enhancing National Awareness,” Jarallah Discusses International Media Narratives

Marib /Yemen
The Mokha Center for Strategic Studies, in cooperation with the Red Sea Center for Political and Security Studies, organized a symposium in Marib titled “The Role of Media in Enhancing National Awareness and Supporting the Path to Restoring the State.”
The event brought together a distinguished group of journalists and researchers to discuss the role of media in addressing national challenges and supporting efforts to restore the Yemeni state from the control of the Iran-backed Houthi militia.
The symposium was inaugurated by Ateq Jarallah, head of the Mokha Center, who emphasized the necessity of strengthening communication between Yemeni media institutions and their international counterparts. He highlighted the importance of producing professional and credible content that reflects the aspirations of the Yemeni people and garners international support.
Jarallah further stressed the need to develop a cohesive national narrative capable of countering Houthi disinformation campaigns both domestically and internationally.
Mohammed Al-Walasi Bahibeh, head of the Red Sea Center, underscored the significance of advancing national media and unifying its discourse to keep pace with technological developments and expose Houthi violations. He emphasized the importance of influencing public opinion at both local and international levels to reinforce support for Yemen’s legitimate state institutions.
Deputy Minister of Information Ahmed Rabie highlighted the crucial role of journalists in shaping the post-war phase, noting that their efforts lay the groundwork for national recovery and stability.
Brigadier General Ahmed Al-Ashwal, director of moral guidance, described the media as a parallel front to the military battlefield. He emphasized its vital role in strengthening national morale, exposing Houthi crimes, and mobilizing public support for the armed forces. He further called on media institutions to coordinate efforts in support of the national cause.
Al-Ashwal also commended national media outlets for their role in covering military victories and documenting Houthi violations.
Research Papers and Key Insights
The symposium featured three research papers addressing various dimensions of media engagement in the Yemeni conflict.
The first paper, presented by Ateq Jarallah, examined how the Yemeni conflict is portrayed in international media. He argued that Yemen has a diverse and skilled media sector, with well-qualified professionals and a just cause—an armed conflict between a legitimate state and a rebellious militia. He noted that the Houthi movement’s ideology contradicts democratic values, human rights, and the historical aspirations of the Yemeni people.
Jarallah identified three prevailing but flawed international narratives regarding the conflict, including the perception of the Houthis as a marginalized minority in need of empowerment, which ultimately prolongs the conflict, the framing of the war as a Saudi-Iranian or Saudi-Yemeni confrontation rather than a struggle against an Iran-backed insurgency, and a purely humanitarian perspective that overlooks the root causes of the war.
To address these misconceptions, he proposed several strategic recommendations, including emphasizing the legitimacy and justice of Yemen’s struggle to restore the state, strengthening coordination between national media institutions and key opinion leaders, facilitating visits by international researchers and journalists to Yemen to present an accurate portrayal of the situation, elevating media engagement as a strategic priority among policymakers, and encouraging private sector support for national media initiatives and awareness campaigns.
The second paper, presented by journalist Mohammed Al-Jamaai, explored the structural challenges facing Yemeni media and highlighted the need to leverage modern technology to counter Houthi media dominance.
The third paper, delivered by journalist Abdullah Al-Munifi, focused on the role of social media as a key battleground for raising national awareness and combating Houthi propaganda.
The symposium concluded with a call for the unification of media efforts to support the national cause and confront the Iran-backed Houthi project. Participants reaffirmed that media remains a powerful instrument in this critical struggle.