“A group of Saudi women journalists organize a seminar on women’s affairs.”
“A delegation of Saudi women journalists visits the offices of an international organization.”
“Saudi women journalists speak to a foreign publication about women’s affairs in the Kingdom.”
“The human rights commissioner gives interviews to a number of Saudi women journalists.”
These are some of the sensational headlines that have appeared in our press recently. We can only raise our eyebrows and express surprise and disbelief at such news. The reason is simple. Going through the stories and checking the entire article word by word, you will find nothing that tells the names and identities of these so-called Saudi women journalists or the publications they represent. All you see is poor language that is lacking in both objective journalism and credibility. It is the old newspaper trick of using exciting headlines to attract readers and separate them from the riyals in their pockets.
Being officially recognized journalists active in the profession, we want to ask: Who are these Saudi women journalists who have assumed our role by pretending to represent Saudi writers? Why are such distorted and false reports written and carried in local papers as well as in Arab newspapers abroad and even on the Internet?
Such reports are probably the creations of some who specialize in insulting Saudi journalists by undermining their work.
Years ago there might have been people who believed such baseless reports. This is no longer the case.
Saudi women writers have been using their pens to raise different issues concerning their society, including problems related to the family as well as other issues and they have done so in a responsible, objective and professional manner. Over the years, their work has made noticeable progress and they have become more and more necessary to the profession and the organizations in which they work.
I wish the authorities would check the truth of news published in the local press and punish those who fabricate false reports that neither serve the profession nor give anything useful to the readers.
