Dozens of journalists from Saudi Arabia and abroad decided not to board the press bus provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for transit from the Marriot Hotel in Riyadh to the King Abdul Aziz Conference Center to attend the closing session of the 19th Arab Summit.
They stayed at the main off-site press center, instead, taking notes from the live televised speeches and cobbling their reports from the pre-scripted press materials. This is not surprising after what happened to the reporters on Tuesday. The collective reaction from the press corps yesterday seemed to be: What’s the point of being shuttled to a closed room where reporters weren’t even able to listen to the words spoken by the leaders of the Arab world?
Indeed, over a hundred journalists who attended the opening session of the summit on Tuesday found themselves locked in a hall in the center, not only initially prohibited from going inside the main room where the action was taking place but also not even provided audio of the speeches taking place.
“When we found out that we were being locked up inside a hall with no access inside, we went to another office where we found a television without audio,” said Manal Abdel Aal, journalist from Deutsche Welle. “Moments later, a guard turned off the TV set and asked us to leave, saying that this was a private office. He cut me off while I was on the air giving a report to my newsroom.”
The journalists were later allowed in only after UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon had already begun speaking over an hour after the summit had already started.
Manal said that organizers also should respect the time factor and realize that time is precious for journalists. She mentioned how organizers told journalists to come at 7 a.m. The bus didn’t begin to leave until noon. “Those five hours were precious for us journalists,” she said.
So yesterday the press corps simply chose the most effective route: forgoing the event itself and just watching things on television (this time with sound) and jotting down notes.
Lack of access to the event itself wasn’t the only thing bothering journalists covering the Arab Summit yesterday. They also pointed out that there were eight telephones set up with international lines in the press center, which had to be shared by hundreds of foreign journalists. The reporters were seen during the summit asking each other to expedite their use of the phone lines. For most of the day, there was a queue of journalists waiting to file their stories. Many were probably wishing that their own budgets provided for international mobile communications. Printer problems at the press center were also on the minds of the reporters, who said many of the computers provided weren’t easily connected to the print server. “I basically had to ask a technician every time to assist me when I wanted to print something out,” said one of the journalists.
Reporters were seen skipping out of the Marriot Hotel throughout the day to visit a nearby cybercafe to get online. Later in the day, it appeared that the technicians had resolved the connectivity issue, much to the relief of some of the deadline-conscious journos.
Meanwhile, very few Arab radio journalists have been covering the Arab Summit. The special section prepared for Saudi radio reporters, for example, was virtually empty throughout the day. Two microphones were placed on the table, but no one was arranging any interviews or analysis during most of the day. Some print and television journalists even took advantage of the empty place and sat there reading newspapers and drinking coffee. One particular Egyptian radio journalist, who only called himself Hussam, said he realized upon his arrival that out of a group of about 40 radio journalists he counted, he was the only Arab. He said this was odd, since radio is a very popular source of news and information in the Arab world.
“People don’t seem to realize that radio is beneficial to listen to, while they are driving, for instance,” he said. “Driving takes up a big portion of the day.”
Hussam said he believes that radio is a more serious journalistic medium, because unlike television the focus is on the report itself rather than the makeup and the other special attention given to appearance.
“That is why radio journalists usually report on more topics than television reporters do,” he said. “The audience also listens to the reporting more carefully, rather than just focusing on pictures.”
The Kingdom recently announced that it would be opening up the airwaves to private investment in radio, which Hussam called a positive move.
Some foreign journalists were given a rare opportunity to tour the capital city, thanks to an initiative by the Supreme Tourism Commission in cooperation with the Foreign Affairs and Culture and Information Ministries.
Several of the tours included visits to the King Abdul Aziz Historical Center, King Saud University, Al-Masmak Fort, the Kingdom Center, Al-Faisaliah Tower, the Equestrian Club, Al-Athriya village, and sightseeing in some streets of the capital.
Several European and Asian journalists who had arrived at the summit to cover the event expressed their admiration and astonishment to see the modern city of Riyadh. “I never imagined Riyadh was so modern,” said one journalist who didn’t want to be named. “It was completely different from the image I had before I arrived.”
On the other hand, some Arab journalists, particularly those who have lived in other Saudi cities, like Jeddah and Dammam, were less enthusiastic. Some complained about the noticeable difference in Riyadh lifestyle.
“Thank goodness it ends today,” said an Egyptian journalist who has lived in Jeddah for a decade. “I feel so choked up here. The nearest sheesha (hubbly bubbly) café is an hour drive from city center.”
He said the capital was glamorous, but mirrored the convention that Jeddah was much better in terms of leisure, social conventions and recreation.
