New media represented by Internet news, forums and blogs cannot be silenced, said Dr. Abdullah Al-Rifa'e, professor of new media at Imam Mohammed Bin Saud Islamic University. He was speaking at a symposium held Sunday at the Jeddah Chamber for Commerce and Industry (JCCI). New media cannot be silenced because having control over the Internet is impossible, Dr. Al-Rifa'e said. He assured those attending the symposium that new media is here to stay and is not just a fad that will disappear in time. He said that the concern now is not the lack of information, but rather the free flow of it. “The change started during the last ten years,” Dr. Al-Rifa'e told Saudi Gazette. “There are now fewer readers of books and newspapers in the new generation.” He pointed out that officials in the Ministry of Education are studying how to apply online education which will mean that more students would have difficulty in reading books and newspapers. “However, I am confident that traditional newspapers are not going to die. What will die is the commercial aspect of journalism, which will result in journalism that is more concerned with social responsibility than with financial benefit,” he said. Dr. Abdul Aziz Al-Mulhem, Deputy Minister of Culture and Information for studies and development, said that the ministry is reviewing new regulations on the use of information on the Internet. The new forms of media are no longer supplementary to traditional newspapers,” said Dr. Al-Mulhem, “they are basic now and they threaten traditional newspapers.” He also predicted that the advertising market would be reduced by 20 percent by 2020 because of this shift to new media. Dr. Fayez Al-Shihri, a professor specializing in Internet news, said that the new forms of media attempt to hide from the authorities. “After 9/11, governments increased their surveillance of the media which resulted in the appearance of these new forms,” he explained. He added that new media have certain characteristics giving them more strength. “They provide news faster, they are uncensored, and they are able to directly meet the needs of their audience,” he said.
