@20_anas
Saudi newspaper editors questioned the Reporters Without Borders report for the year 2017, after ranking the kingdom late in freedom of the press, as it reached the 168th place, despite the tangible high ceiling of freedom.
Observers attributed the poor assessment of the freedom of the Saudi press in its report to the failure to host associations and civil society institutions concerned with the rights of the press and journalists.
It is noteworthy that some of the chief editors refrained from speaking after Okaz put its questions to them, offering their apologies under pretexts such as calling back at a later time, or viewing the topic and then commenting later.
While the former editor-in-chief of Al-Sharq Al-Awsat newspaper, Salman Al-Dossary, commented to “Okaz” by saying: “How harsh it is for Saudi Arabia to rank in the list of press freedom in a lower position, and I do not think that this is appropriate for the development that Saudi Arabia is experiencing,” calling for more “disciplined” press freedom. .
Al-Dossary stressed, “This rank occupied by Saudi Arabia raises many questions about the report’s criteria, and compared to some neighboring countries in which not a single letter is written in criticism of sovereign authorities, as is the case in Saudi Arabia, the levels of criticism in the local media are relatively high, and yet we find that These countries are advanced by dozens of places, which indicates the overlapping of some criteria based on the nature of the country’s regime and the penalties that are applied, and not only what is published or broadcast in the media, as is believed. Whereas, the bodies preparing that report classify these laws as "violations", and therefore a large part of the evaluation is based on the applicable regulations and not only on press freedoms.
Al-Dossary explained that a plan must be put in place to raise Saudi Arabia’s ranking in this list, and that there be an annual goal, such as raising Saudi Arabia’s position by five positions annually. Changing or amending some of the laws on which this classification is based, without prejudice to the general order of the state and its general orientations.
While the editor-in-chief of a local newspaper believes that it is necessary to identify the standards that put Saudi Arabia in a backward position, at a time when countries that oppress the press, monitor journalists, and practice a lot against the press are in an advanced position, pointing to the existence of wide areas of expression for criticism in the Kingdom, adding: “We do not claim We are an ideal country that grants complete freedom, but we are better than many countries that preceded us in classifying this organization, whose position we know in advance.
The editorial director, who preferred not to be named, stressed the importance of the Journalists Association and its president, colleague Khaled Al-Malik, dealing quickly and seriously with this indicator, which indicates that the country's media is weak and repressed, contrary to facts on the ground, including the volume of criticism practiced by opinion writers, and the volume of Broad freedom in websites and social networking sites. The commission should also invite the organization to visit the Kingdom and inform it of the press situation in Saudi Arabia, the changes and the new paths that the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz aspires to.
And he added, “We know that the primary committee for examining publication violations takes harsh and censorship decisions without professional experience, and this is an indication of concern for the future of the profession.
Anas Al-Youssef (Jeddah)
