RIYADH, 18 July — Information Minister Dr. Fuad Al-Farsi said yesterday that the new press law approved by the Council of Ministers on Monday would help Saudi media organizations achieve greater success by improving standards.
“We hope that the new law will stimulate greater competition (among our newspapers and magazines) in tune with speedy global changes in the field in terms of content and presentation,” the minister told Saudi Press Agency.
“The new law, which covers issues related to administration and finance, defines the responsibilities of chief editors and editors, and permits the formation of an independent union by Saudi journalists, will hopefully create a conducive atmosphere for the Saudi press to achieve greater progress,” the minister said.
The Cabinet endorsed the new law, containing 30 articles, aimed at restructuring the Kingdom’s press industry and allowing Saudi journalists to form a trade union for the first time. The union will look after the welfare of journalists in the Kingdom and oversee the introduction of a minimum wage, job security and other benefits.
Okaz newspaper quoted an Information Ministry official as saying that no journalist registered with the union could be sacked before the union has been consulted. It added that members could seek the help of the union in case of a dispute with a newspaper, and that the union would operate on same lines as trade unions and associations for journalists in other countries.
In a press statement carried by Asharq Al-Awsat Arabic newspaper, Dr. Abdul Rahman Al-Shubailey, a member of the Shoura Council as well as the Supreme Information Council, said the new law would increase press freedom in the country.
He said a number of major changes have been incorporated into the country’s press law, which was first issued in 1964, to keep abreast with the Kingdom’s cultural and economic developments.
According to the new bylaw, the information minister will issue licenses for press establishments with the approval of the prime minister. An application for a press license should be presented jointly by at least 30 Saudis.
The minister can approve publication of new periodicals by a licensed establishment. An applicant should at least hold a university degree and should not be a member of any other press organization.
