Bahrain has set up an emergency media strategy, which will encourage local media organisations to adopt a "zero-tolerance" policy towards false claims made in the international arena, said a top government official.

"We have a full strategy prepared to tackle misinformation and make the people of Bahrain aware of the real truth," Minister of State for Information Affairs and government spokeswoman Sameera Rajab was quoted as saying in the Gulf Daily News, our sister publication.

"In addition to this, there is an emergency strategy that deals with the issue of terrorism, which is unfortunate as we in Bahrain never knew we were going to face this,” she said during the weekly Cabinet press conference.

Rajab said efforts have been stepped up to increase the role of the media in countering false reports.

"The role of the state-run Bahrain News Agency (BNA) has been intensified as it is now playing the role of the main source of information to local and international media outlets," she said.

"The Information Affairs Authority is also active on social media and plays an integral role. We are monitoring the media performance and trying to explain to the international community how terrorism is affecting us."

It comes after a new five-year information strategy to promote unity and reform was given the go-ahead by the Cabinet last month.

The plan, which contains 45 programmes, has been fast-tracked as an issue of high importance. – TradeArabia News Service