JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia will soon have its own integrated media city that will help boost media activities in the Kingdom, said Minister of Culture and Information Dr. Abdul Aziz Khoja.
The minister — who made the comments to the Saudi Journalists’ Association during a meeting with its members in Riyadh on Tuesday — did not reveal where or when the city would see the light. He, however, revealed that the city would be big and would be established in one of the Kingdom’s cities. “We have already selected a suitable place for the project,” he said without revealing the site.
Dr. Khoja said new rules and regulations for publications, taking into account new developments in the media field, would be issued soon. “The Saudi audio-visual media are currently witnessing a remarkable progress and there is a lot of effort being exerted toward this end which would soon bear fruit,” he said.
The minister called for a better organization of the offices of satellite channels in the Kingdom and said this process has already begun and will be completed soon. He also rejected the notion that satellite channels promote certain religious sects or tribalism. He admitted that the electronic media in the Kingdom have become a reality, adding that the ministry is taking steps to organize e-media. “We will soon issue regulations to organize the work of the electronic media to be under an official umbrella,” he said, adding that the electronic media have become an important source of news and information.
The minister did not prefer a code of conduct for Saudi media. “Every Saudi journalist has his/her own internal code of conduct. We are all responsible citizens,” he said.
Dr. Khoja expressed happiness over the fact that the ministry has never prevented any Saudi writer or journalist from writing. “The ministry has a commission to rule on media cases. We never meddle in the work of this commission,” he said, adding that the formation of the commission could not be changed because it was set up by a royal decree.
“The road is still long for the promotion of the Saudi media. We have to correct mistakes, train new staff and benefit from the experience of the old ones,” he said.
Dr. Khoja underlined the importance of communication with foreign media through language that they understand. “We have to know the art of communicating with others,” he said.
