On Thursday, 6 February 2020, the International Cooperation Office, in cooperation with the College of Economics and Political Science at Sultan Qaboos University organized a talk on “The International Media Landscape in the 21st Century”. The talk was delivered by Nicholas Kralev, author, journalist and entrepreneur specializing in diplomacy and international affairs, whose work of more than 20 years has taken him to almost 100 countries.

Kralev is the executive director of the Washington International Diplomatic Academy, an independent organization that provides practical professional training in diplomacy and international affairs. A former Financial Times and Washington Times correspondent, he witnessed firsthand the conduct of American diplomacy while accompanying U.S. Secretaries of State Hillary Clinton, Condoleezza Rice, Colin Powell and Madeleine Albright on their travels around the world.

Information has become a commodity that more and more people, businesses, governments and others are trying to control. The definitions of “fact” and “truth” have become questionable at best and irrelevant at worst, as citizens choose to believe stories that reflect their own agenda and way of thinking. In this talk, Kralev addressed the challenges this creates for both media organizations and the public, as well as its impact on such sacred journalistic values as objectivity, credibility and trust. He also discussed the role of social media, information technology and innovation in the future of newsgathering, content-creation and disseminating information.

In his talk, Kralev addressed the steps governments around the world, as well as the international community, must take to give diplomacy its rightful recognition as a true profession, complete with all necessary resources and tools. He also discussed how the work of diplomats has changed in the 21st century, and how smart, persistent and effective diplomacy can contribute directly to a nation’s security and prosperity, while promoting global stability in the process.