DUBAI: Today we discuss the public relations (PR) industry, and the role it plays in the media in 2017. The team looks at how the PR industry is shaping the news, and how the news is shaping PR.

We talk about the recent scandal that hit PR agency Bell Pottinger in South Africa, where they are accused of instigating racial tensions and generating fake news.

We are joined for this conversation by special guest Alex Malouf, a senior corporate communications executive, board member of the Middle East Public Relations Association (MEPRA) and recently named by the Holmes Report as the first communications innovator in the Middle East and Africa.

What is the aim of PR agencies, and why is it such a booming industry in the Middle East?