The Saudi Press Agency could be privatized to remove the “official quality” from its news. That is one of the many suggestions of participants at a preparatory meeting for the ninth national dialogue. The National Dialogue will be held in Hail and is themed “The Media and Society. Reality and Paths to Development: Dialogue between Society and Media Organizations”. Ibrahim Niazi, Director of the SPA office in Abha, said that Saudi media has taken giant steps forward in terms of dialogue thanks to its well-trained and qualified staff. While Dr. Muhammad Barayan, General Director of the First Saudi TV Channel, insists that the Ministry of Culture and Information has taken steps to diversify the Saudi media by issuing licenses to those who want to open newspapers any place in the Kingdom, according to a report in Al-Hayat newspaper. However other participants are more critical of the Saudi media slamming “websites that rely on churning out rumors just for the sake of generating headlines.” They also say “Saudi visual media needs to be more professional to keep up with global developments in the sector”. Some panelists call for the training of professional journalists and editors and a prize for the media corporation that has the highest professional standards Other proposals call for better job security for Saudi journalists and for the setting up of a new educational channel to prepare young people for a stable family life and to reduce divorce rates. Some participants blasted the media for the scant attention it devotes to children and the needs of the physically challenged. Sana Momina, who is a child program consultant at Jeddah TV, said that the Ministry of Culture and Information plays a pivotal role in inculcating social solidarity values and concepts in the mind of the general public. “The ministry attracts and trains media cadre who are ethical, transparent and objective.” The panelists called for “school curricula to focus on dialogue and the media and educate the general public about the role of the King Abdul Aziz Center for National Dialogue.” They also stressed “the importance of focusing on the writers who write human rights reports in the Kingdom and of ensuring that they do not have a clandestine agenda that might damage the image of the Kingdom.” Dr. Rashid Al-Shareef, Vice Chairman of the presiding committee of King Abdul Aziz Center for National Dialogue, urged the participants to avoid arguments during the upcoming dialogue and focus on what is best for society. Dr. Abdullah Al-Obaid, a member of the presiding committee, said, “Dialogue is an important strategic tool for building solidarity and the media plays a crucial role in dialogue inside Saudi society.”
