Minister of Culture and Information Abdul Aziz Khoja has approved the bylaw of the first electronic media association in the Kingdom. The Riyadh-based association would have branches and offices across the Kingdom, and its area of work would consist of all branches of electronic media and publishing, Khoja told the Saudi Press Agency. The association’s objectives include strengthening interaction among Saudi and non-Saudi media persons in the print, audio and visual media fields.
The minister said that issuance of the bylaw reflected the keenness of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah and Crown Prince Naif, deputy premier and minister of interior, and his ministry to strengthen all forms of electronic media in the Kingdom. “There will be 32 articles in the bylaw that are aimed at promoting and developing the capabilities of all those working in the fields of e-media and publishing,” he said.
The association would serve all Saudi and expatriate writers, media persons, bloggers, technicians and innovators working in the fields of print, audio and visual media. It will be an active and pioneering social and institutional platform for media persons that help them develop their capabilities and professionalism. The society will extend all basic professional support and services to its members through a string of innovative programs and activities.
The association’s objectives include facilitating exchange of ideas and information concerning the association among publishers, media persons, and organizations within the Kingdom and abroad, and working out criteria and bases for work ethics of media persons.
Khoja said the association would support new publishers and media persons to develop their skills and hone their talents through starting a search for talented persons from the beginning of their schooling. To achieve this goal, the association would undertake several programs and activities such as encouraging researches and publishing these research reports; organizing conferences, seminars and e-courses to disseminate researches and studies related with the association’s fields of activity; conducting competitions; holding training courses; and inviting people with special needs to take part in its activities.
Other objectives include improving professional standard of members, giving significance to all forms of e-media including e-press, e-publishing and blogging, and providing training to media persons and cameramen in cooperation with the local and international news agencies.
The association would set up a database of all publishers and media persons working in the e-media and publishing fields, in addition to organizing annual meets between officials of the ministry and those working in the electronic media and publishing fields to know about their problems and solve them. The association’s objectives also include setting up of annual prizes for those who made outstanding contributions in the e-media field, and a special annual prize for the best blogger.
First e-media association’s bylaw approved
