RIYADH – Minister of Culture and Information Dr. Abdul Aziz Khoja has approved the establishment of the Council of Press Organizations (CPO) and its bylaw, the Saudi Press Agency reported Tuesday. This marks the launch of the functioning of the council, which has various Saudi press organizations as its members. The Riyadh-based council is made up of the directors general of the organizations. While congratulating directors general of the organizations for this great achievement, Dr. Khoja said the new move would strengthen the capabilities of press organizations in realizing their common goals in administrative, marketing and distribution fields, excluding editorial or media policy realms. “This move, which was preceded by the formation of the Saudi Journalists' Association (SJA), comes in line with the directives of the state to support and regulate the media publishing and printing industry in the Kingdom, and in response to the massive expansion of the media industry, in addition to protecting its huge investments,” Khoja said. The minister urged the CPO and SJA to consolidate and coordinate their efforts in further strengthening the role of Saudi media internally and externally. Director General of Al-Yaum Media House Saleh Humaidan, who is the first president of the CPO, and members of the council, thanked King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, and Crown Prince Salman Bin Abdul Aziz, Deputy Premier and Minister of Defense, for their keenness, and moral and material support to the Saudi media, saying “this enabled us to undertake the national role of carrying the Kingdom's message and project its culture and remarkable development.”
