Government departments can identify and deal with services-related complaints from the public by building effective partnerships with media houses in the Kingdom, a local academic has urged.
Khalid Al-Hulaibi, a member of the College of Shariah and Islamic Studies in Al-Ahsa, called on government's media liaison departments to work with mainstream and new media to respond to citizens' complaints and concerns, according to a local newspaper.
Al-Hulaibi called for “partnerships with various media to strengthen communication with the community and build bridges of communication with the media.”
He was speaking during a meeting earlier this week of public relations and media managers in the Kingdom, which was hosted by the municipality of Al-Ahsa.
He said it was important for the ministries and departments "to implement steps and accelerate studies" to find ways to respond effectively to complaints.
Al-Hulaibi also called on the government to strengthen its public relations and media departments by "holding meetings and regular conferences for journalists" to check the progress of various projects. He said the government has to take into account journalists' "views and ideas because they represent the voice of the citizen.”
He said government can "benefit from the expertise of some journalists and should win them over.”
The mayor of Al-Ahsa, Adel bin Mohammed Al-Melhem, said: “The media should highlight the growth and development of projects, without any exaggeration or minimization, to reflect the reality of ministries’ efforts, including the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs.”
“Al-Ahsa municipality should seek to strengthen constructive cooperation with the media to establish a platform for complementary services.”
‘Govt needs media to identify problems’
