The OIC information ministers’ conference, which concluded in Jeddah recently, came out with recommendations that, among other things, call for the formulation of a joint media strategy to address the challenges facing the Islamic world.
The goal is the service of Islam and Muslims. The tools for this purpose include a proposal to launch a satellite channel, the Internet, as well as the restructuring of the International Islamic News Agency (IINA) with a view to making it more professional.
While the goals are laudable, the challenges are formidable. They range from developing a higher level of professionalism in the Arab and Muslim media to structural challenges in the functioning of governmental and private-sector organizations. Investment in modern technology would mean nothing unless there is a paradigm shift in facilitating access to news.
Information should not be regarded as a “state secret”. To start with, the 15-member OIC Ministerial Committee, that also includes Saudi Arabia, will have to put in place a mechanism to identify the main problem before working out the solution.
In 2003, the Riyadh-based Saudi Association for Media and Communication (SAMC) conducted a survey of some British and American newspapers to get a broad overview of their contents in relation to the Kingdom.
The findings showed that the Kingdom’s image in the Western media has been dented due to a variety of factors. Those responsible were some Western journalists who would chase only negative stories relating to the restrictions on women in terms of driving and employment opportunities; mutawwas showing excessive zeal in seeking to promote virtue and prevent vice; educational institutions perceived as a breeding ground of extremism; the nexus between charitable organizations and terror funding, and so on.
The survey also revealed that Saudi dissidents abroad were masterminding a campaign to discredit the Kingdom’s leadership. Against this backdrop, a comprehensive action plan needs to be drawn up to streamline the functioning of the news media. The elements of this plan should include upgrading the level of professionalism not only in the International Islamic News Agency (IINA) but also of Radio Riyadh and the Saudi Press Agency.
At the ministerial level and in public sector undertakings, there is an urgent need for infusion of young blood and for overhauling the news service. The third component of the plan deals with the strategy for reaching out to the international community, especially the West.
Such a strategy has the potential of creating employment opportunities for young Saudis and making PR departments more responsive to journalists’ needs. At the pan-OIC level, it could help mobilize the vast human and economic resources of the region, promote intra-OIC trade and investment, which is less than 15 percent of the total volume of trade of the 57 member countries.
The caliber of journalists in Saudi government agencies leaves much to be desired. Stories are protocol-driven rather than led by news value. They lack depth and the elements of good journalistic writing.
Recently, I was tuning in to Radio Riyadh for one of its news bulletins. The ten-minute broadcast left me with the impression the news editor was unable to integrate the different news items into a coherent piece. According to a study conducted by Awatef Abd El Rahman, an Arab researcher, on the “Problems of the Arab World Media”, there is a shortage of qualified staff at the academic level. In the absence of professors of journalism or mass communications, Ph.D. holders in sociology and non-related disciplines were hired to teach journalism students. Some of these Ph.D. holders had cut-and-paste doctorates thanks to the Internet. How can they guide journalism students?
In terms of access to news, almost all the journalists, including Saudis, find it extremely difficult to extract information out of the PR departments, except when it suits them. The stock response to any query is to ask for questions, which are never answered. Visits to ministries usually turn out to be a physical fitness exercise, unless the media has been invited to a press conference.
To streamline the process, each ministry could issue an advisory to the departmental heads requiring them to prepare press releases regarding any news of public interest and send it across to the PR manager.
To this end, the PR department in each ministry could employ Saudi graduates with a good knowledge of English and other European languages. They could also double up as interpreters at press conferences for the convenience of non-Arabic journalists. This would not only boost the level of Saudization but also help the government in reaching out to a large segment of the news media at home and abroad. As for promoting interaction at the pan-OIC level, there is an urgent need for an international newspaper catering to the audience of the member countries. Such an experiment is feasible in the OIC context given the enormous financial and other resources that are available in the GCC as well as other countries in the Middle East and the ASEAN region. In the case of Arab News, for example, the launch of the Dubai edition has facilitated the movement of capital and manpower between Saudi Arabia and the UAE. The flow of ads from the UAE has registered a significant increase. As a result, expatriates from the Kingdom are finding it easier to land jobs in the UAE and other Gulf states.
The launch of an international newspaper for the English-speaking region of the OIC could promote interaction and better understanding across several countries; result in trade shows and investment flows; promote joint ventures and boost the regional economy as a whole. The IINA could play a meaningful role in this context by upgrading its professionalism and augmenting its news flow.
It would also be easier for the OIC member countries to speak with one voice to the West. The proposed newspaper could be used as a medium for projecting the views of the 57-member OIC and also respond to the current challenges effectively.