@al_arobai
It seems that the simplification of any (legal) personality with you in a passing conversation does not mean that this personality is simple in the popular sense, and this was revealed by the multiple meetings with Muhammad al-Tunisi (Abu Abd al-Ilah), as the Tunisian is a student of the Prophet’s Mosque. He spelled his first letters in the circles of venerable scholars, and spread his robe to master the language and jurisprudence early. He was brought up on the convergence of cultures in the goodness of goodness. It is not surprising that his name was recorded in the court of Her Majesty as a qualitative journalist. Every tongue.. “Okaz” visited the editor-in-chief of Al-Roya newspaper, and this dialogue was:
• How do you respond to those who see that you have moved to the Emirati press in search of a higher ceiling for freedom of expression?
•• Firstly, I do not know who said it, and from here I cannot respond to an unknown person, and perhaps questions that are not devoid of malice will branch out from the question, but let us be objective. To be the editor-in-chief of a newspaper in the Kingdom or in any sister country. Honestly, I did not come to the Emirates in search of a higher ceiling for freedom of expression, nor for a financial temptation, except that I am a person who loves work, and when the offer came to me from those in charge of Al-Ruya newspaper, I accepted it wholeheartedly.
• Abu Abd al-Ilah, there are those who say that print journalism is about to disappear. What is your point of view on such a saying?
•• There is no product that fails in the market unless it is of poor quality with the agreement of the producers, or if it is not marketed in the ideal way for marketing. The Gulf and Arab reader will not abandon paper newspapers, provided that the chief editors are up to the challenge and know what they offer the reader.
• How do you spend your press day?
•• As usual, we have a daily editing meeting, and then the departments start communicating with the editors. After completing the materials, we meet to arrange the materials according to their importance and distribute them on the pages. As you know, I work with a very comfortable and homogeneous team, which turns the working day into fun and exchange of ideas, and technology is a lot of comfort as you can see the newspaper pages wherever you are.
• When did you start your journalistic journey?
•• I started with Al-Jazeera newspaper, but the first to open the door for me was my father, may God have mercy on him, then I learned from the hands of the leaders of Al-Jazeera newspaper 30 years ago (Saleh Al-Ajroush, Khaled Al-Malik, and Othman Al-Omair), and the first to open the door for me to obtain education in journalism was Dr. Hammoud Al-Badr And Dr. Asaad Abdo.
• Can one of the symbols of the Saudi press be described as a school?
•• Othman Al-Omair, without a doubt, on the level of encyclopedia of knowledge, skill and professionalism, broad-mindedness, and absorption of all data.
• Where did you find yourself, from Al-Jazeera, to the Middle East, then Al-Eqtisadiah, Al-Ikhbariya TV, then Okaz, and now Al-Vision?
•• Each stage and place has its fragrant memories, roses and thorns. On the island, there are young aspirations and a keenness to learn from colleagues in the stage, Abd al-Rahman al-Rashed and Matar al-Ahmadi. In the Middle East, there is a battle for self-affirmation. Perhaps the news channel has a different flavor, as we entered all homes and addressed all generations and dialogued with elites and technocrats. It was a quality experience.
• What about reactions to what you publish in a newspaper, or display in a channel?
A: Of course, there are mixed reactions, and sometimes unexpected ones. Sometimes you publish or display an article and you think that you have (the holiday brought) and you receive reactions expressing satisfaction and praise, and sometimes the opposite, but the reactions do not reach the level of defamation, as much as they are an inquiry and clarification about the backgrounds of what was published.
• Do you regret the material you agreed to publish?
•• Never if the material is complete with elements, but as a human being you can suffer in a personal capacity if a person is harmed unintentionally, “we are human beings in the end.”
• Didn't you authorize an article and wait for reactions to it tomorrow morning?
A: Not at all. The editor-in-chief has standards that he works according to. The subject is not subject to uncalculated jurisprudence.
• When should the editor-in-chief rest?
•• If he is no longer able to give, and he has nothing to offer, and the days are longer than their people, my friend.
• How many Saudis are with you in the vision?
•• Only two, but they sing for a team.
• Have you been exposed to treachery, ingratitude or forgetfulness?
A: All these “nostalgic” terms do not concern me. “If you stop at every envious, treacherous, or ungrateful person, you will not take a single step.” And I forgive because my father, may God have mercy on him, used to pass values on to me from an early age while we were on our way to perform the Fajr prayer in the Prophet’s Mosque, the most important of which is forgiveness and reconciliation with oneself and times. Whoever digs a hole will fall into it, or he will bury it himself.
• There are journalists who learned from you and are attached to you. What is the secret of your attachment to Abu Abdullah?
•• Ask them, each of the colleagues I loved from the profession was harsh on him, and I disagreed with him, but with love, and in the interest of work.
• Why don't you write in a newspaper you edit?
•• Not necessarily, but perhaps I have a conviction that I do not write and my picture does not appear.
Dialogue: Ali Al-Rubai (Dubai)
