JEDDAH, 15 September 2004 — Crown Prince Abdullah yesterday urged Saudi journalists to enlighten youths about fighting terrorism and the need to attend training programs to qualify them for taking up both military and civilian jobs.
Prince Abdullah made the comments while receiving the chairman and members of the Saudi Journalists’ Association’s (SJA) first board of directors.
“Credibility must be the hallmark of the Saudi press and you should publish only that which deserves publication,” Prince Abdullah told the journalists, adding that the press must project the true picture of the nation.
The crown prince congratulated the board members and urged them to fulfill the association’s objectives.
Prince Bandar ibn Sultan, Saudi ambassador to the United States, and other top officials including Culture and Information Minister Dr. Fouad Al-Farsy, attended the meeting at Al-Salam Palace in Jeddah.
Saudi journalists have elected nine board members which includes two women: Nawal Al-Rashed, head of the women’s department at Al-Riyadh newspaper, and Nahid Bashateh, a journalist, also with Al-Riyadh.
More than 300 journalists took part in the landmark election held at Riyadh’s Saud Al-Babtain Center for Heritage and Culture on June 7, 2004.
“The establishment of this association is part of an ongoing comprehensive agenda for reform that aims to increase political participation and build the foundations for civil society in the Kingdom,” said Prince Bandar.
The association was set up on Feb. 24, 2003 to protect the rights of journalists in the Kingdom and coordinate their relations with the media establishment.
This year, the Consultative Council urged the Ministry of Culture and Information to encourage greater freedom of expression in the Saudi media and to open up opportunities for investment in journalism to the Saudi private sector.
“Freedom of expression is the right of Saudi journalists,” said Turki Al-Sudairi, the association’s chairman. He said the Ministry of Culture and Information would “not at all interfere” in the association’s activities. More than 1,000 journalists have already registered with the organization. “There are a good number of female journalists,” Al-Sudairi said.
