DAMMAM, 26 March — The turmoil in the Kingdom’s oldest daily, Al-Bilad, exposes the pathetic state of affairs that frequently dominate proceedings in many Arabic-language newspapers and magazines here in the Kingdom. Dr. Abdul Qader Tash, former editor in chief of Al-Bilad newspaper, resigned last month in protest at being sidelined from the activities of the newspaper and its failure to pay staff.
Al-Bilad’s fundamental problem is simple: A lack of finance. And journalists on other newspapers are the victims of wrangling among shareholders and boards of directors. A sudden drop in circulation can threaten the very existence of a newspaper.
However, it would be wrong to think that the core problem of these troubled papers is financial.
In a sense, this is just the local version of a global phenomenon. However, there are problems faced by the local Arabic dailies which differ from those that plague the media world in general. Why is it that an ordinary reader prefers to buy an Arabic newspaper published abroad?
Mirza Khwaldi, a senior journalist on Asharq Al-Awsat, told Arab News: “Readers in the Kingdom are more professional in their assessment of social, economic and political developments around the world than the reporters and writers based here who are supposed to serve them. Readers are sick and tired of the old kind of journalism.”
Saleh Al-Humaidan, managing director of Al-Youm Publishing Group, echoed this sentiment: “Readers are not naïve any more. They expect reporters and editors to deal professionally with what is happening in the world.”
There are eight Saudi registered Arabic dailies in the Kingdom: Al-Eqtisadiah, Okaz, Al-Riyadh, Al-Madinah, Al-Nadwa, Al-Youm, Al-Jazirah and Al-Watan. Other, more popular Saudi-owned newspapers — like Asharq Al-Awsat and Al-Hayat — are considered “foreign newspapers”. Some of them are registered in London; a few are based elsewhere in the Middle East.
Barring Al-Watan — established a little more than a year ago — the Saudi-registered newspapers came into being several decades ago, when the founder of the Kingdom, King Abdul Aziz, realized that there was a need for a flow of information, and so allowed a handful of individuals to start up dailies. Then, when oil was still being searched for, newspapers and publishing houses did not form an industry, but rather were more of a social obligation. They lacked business strategies, meaning their long-term prospects for growth were impeded.
With the discovery of oil and the resulting boom, almost all sectors underwent drastic changes. However, the media was left behind. Computers eventually did replace the printing press; but the old management and journalistic way of doing things just carried on as before.
The knack for generating news stories was missing among Saudi journalists. The fact that a large number of them are still part-timers, however, does speak volumes.
Many Arabic journalists justify their approach to journalism by saying that they are restricted in what they can do. Abdullah Al-Bishi, a senior journalist on a local Arabic daily, complains that officials never take journalists seriously. “It’s difficult to get an appointment with senior officials and even those who agree are wary of the whole process,” he said.
Another reporter, Miteb Al-Badeen, recalled an incident in which a photographer was held by police for taking photographs of a slaughterhouse in Dammam during Eid Al-Adha.
It is small wonder that local newspapers have lost the trust of readers, who have turned instead to foreign publications. Now the combined circulation of all eight Arabic dailies in the Kingdom is only about half the circulation of the Cairo-based Al-Ahram. The one local exception to the rule is Al-Watan, which has a loyal readership, and there are two reasons for this: it presents dissenting viewpoints, and it is run as a serious business venture.
Elsewhere, it’s a case of business mismanagement. Dr. Abdul Qader Tash, former editor-in-chief of Al-Bilad, told Arab News for instance that he was “disgusted” by the unprofessional approach of the management he worked under.
This sentiment is echoed by Al-Humaidan at Al-Youm, who argues that until publishing is considered a serious business, no worthwhile changes will be introduced. “New regulations in governing newspapers introduced last year has had some positive effects, but more has to be done.” He also agreed that until the publishing industry is seen in proper business terms, things are unlikely to improve.
Another way out of the current impasse was shown by the coverage in the Saudi press of the Makkah fire, when for the first time in a long time Saudis were actually talking about what they had read in the newspaper that morning over breakfast.
There is surely some irony in the fact that while Saudization is a top priority, there are presently 35 Saudi-owned publications registered in Lebanon and so many others registered in London. If they were based here in the Kingdom, they would provide massive job opportunities for Saudi nationals.
But before any such thing happens, it is necessary for the management of the national dailies to put their business houses in order.
