RIYADH, 10 April 2005 — A group of five undergraduate students at The College of Languages and Translation of Imam Muhammad ibn Saud University visited the Riyadh Bureau of Arab News last week.
Dr. Khalid Al-Seghayer, an assistant professor at the college, accompanied the students. He explained that the main idea of the visit was to introduce the students to the news industry, the media, creative writing and publishing. He also said he believed that young Saudis had great potential for developing writing and communication skills.
Dr. Al-Seghayer said he was trying to encourage his students to read the paper as a daily habit, not only to strengthen their language but to familiarize themselves with a local English publication.
The students were given a brief introduction to Arab News and its history as the Middle East’s leading English language daily. Riyadh Bureau Chief Raid Qusti explained to the students how the paper had evolved along with its sister publications of Saudi Research & Publishing Company (SRPC).
He also explained how the readership of Arab News over the years had expanded. Today, thanks to the Internet and the newspaper’s website, the paper has readers on every continent. “Hundreds of thousands of readers all over the world turn to us every day as a news source,” Qusti added. He also affirmed that Arab News had always been an advocate of Arab and Islamic causes.
Foreign Affairs Reporter Nasser Al-Salti explained to the students that mastering English would open many doors for their future careers, not only in journalism but also in such fields as communication, advertising and public relations.
Senior Reporter Javid Hassan briefed the group on a journalist’s career path. He mentioned the characteristics a good journalist must possess such as having a passion for the job, a nose for news and the appropriate work ethic for a job that is not a nine-to-five occupation. He also explained how a newspaper is set up and the distribution of different tasks and responsibilities.
Arab News hopes to organize future visits by students from English language and mass communication departments at Saudi universities. The students will be introduced to Arab News’ multicultural work environment. The visits will give the paper a chance to select future candidates for training as journalists to work with the paper.
