The Ministry of Culture and Information will issue licenses allowing the establishment of newspapers and radio stations throughout the Kingdom, Abdul Aziz Khoja, the Minister of Culture and Information, has announced. New media are also covered in the announcement and members of the public are encouraged to come forward with requests for the new licenses. “Three hundred licenses have been granted to e-newspapers. The ministry welcomes any application and will grant licenses to those which meet the ministry's requirements and conditions,” said Khoja, according to a report in Al-Jazeerah newspaper. The announcement came during the inauguration of the Gulf Economic Media Forum 2011. The forum was entitled “Gulf Economic Media: Reality and Challenges” and was organized by the Eastern Province Chamber of Commerce and Industry in conjunction with the Gulf Cooperation Council countries' Chambers of Commerce and Industry. Dr. Khoja also emphasized the crucial role that good economic media plays in developing an economy by focusing on economic achievements and developments. “The global economy is closely linked today due to the role of this media and it is important there be professional economic media to differentiate between reliable and unreliable news so that the general public is not misled and has a clear-cut vision,” the minister said. “Currently, the media is performing its cultural and economic role well. I call upon newspapers, TVs and radios to diversify their programs but such diversification should serve the general public's interest,” he added. Abdul Rahman Al-Rashid, Chairman of the Eastern Province Chamber of Commerce, said: “Economic media has served the goals of development over the years. This forum seeks to reinforce a new vision for economic media that can live up to economic challenges and keep up with the latest developments in the field.”
