Abdul Aziz Khoja, Minister of Culture and Information, has responded to criticism of his ministry's report on the state of the national media from members of the Shoura Council by simultaneously praising them and suggesting that they were not critical enough. “If I was a member of the Shoura Council I would have been equally critical of the report, and perhaps more so,” Khoja told Okaz newspaper. “The spirit of constructive criticism which the members entered into showed their level of concern for the public.” Minister Khoja's remarks came in reaction to last Sunday's Shoura Council meeting which heard various members criticize the information ministry report, among them Zahir Al-Harithi who said that the media failed to reflect the diverse culture of the Kingdom and asked the ministry to “give the opportunity to any Saudi national who wishes to take part.” Al-Harithi went further, describing the appointment of Media Attaches in Saudi embassies as a poor use of public money and criticizing the lack of programs directed at youth. Khoja described the members' discussion of the report as conducted with “great responsibility and commendable transparency.” “I agreed with some of the suggestions, notably those for turning Saudi Television and Radio and the Saudi Press Agency into corporations,” Khoja said. “The ministry views the Shoura Council as a partner in the development of culture and media in the Kingdom, and expressing opinions, monitoring and supporting the ministry is what we expect from the council,” Khoja said.
