From the time in 1979 when the Grand Mosque in Makkah was attacked by a group of fanatics, the Saudi media has failed to develop. Its performance has remained unchanged; it is always late in reporting the news. When it does report news, the focus is on description. Only after an event has taken place does our media — television, radio and print — spring into action. Its main concern is reporting people’s reactions, their anger and anticipation, without going any deeper into the issue.
The media response to any event depends on its magnitude. That is why life creeps so slowly into our media with its endless flow of television programs, radio shows and newspaper articles. The coverage is done as a description complete with boring language and monotonous style. There are exceptions, but these are so few they cannot serve as an indication that the performance of the whole has indeed changed.
A major terrorist incident takes place and within a few days, the media has forgotten all about it and it is business as usual once again. It is as if people had not been senselessly and barbarously murdered and as though the country’s calm, peace and security had not been shattered. Consider for example how the American media handled Sept. 11 and its aftermath. Several years later, the media is still relentlessly pursuing the story, seeking information, researching, commenting and analyzing.
Of course, the American media is trying to serve the interests of the United States which mobilized its forces, people and government to fight terrorism. The American media is biased; we all know that the media worldwide is not partial but the American media is also dishonest. Yet, it has succeeded in influencing the course of events throughout the world by constantly highlighting and projecting the attacks on New York and Washington and the war on terrorism.
What makes the American media distinct from all others is its ability to obtain and manipulate information. The information may or may not be accurate but this makes no great difference since false information can be documented to appear genuine and those on the other side care little about verifying the information they are being fed or checking the sources.
We cannot compare ourselves with the mighty machine of the American media. At least, however, we should expect to see our media doing a professional job, digging deeper into the roots, analyzing, debating and arriving at conclusions. This is particularly true at this time when we are faced with terrorist attacks. For our media to be able to function as it should, it needs to get the required information and ensure the cooperation of experts and those capable of influencing and informing public opinion.
