I’ve hopefully uploaded a power point presentation about press freedom in Saudi Arabia (if not it can be found on the learning space under International Political Frameworks).
http://www.4shared.com/file/84961157/8472750f/Saudi_Presentation.html
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is notoriously strict about the type of information that comes into and leaves the country. The media is controlled by the Saudi Royal family and there are endless examples of how they regulate and censor the press. Just to give you an idea, on the 30th January 2008, SA Information Minister Iyad Madami banned all live programming on state television. His announcement was made two days after viewers criticised high-ranking Saudi officials during a live phone-in talk show on the news channel Al-Ikhbariya. The director of the channel, Mohammed Al-Tunsi, was reportedly fired.
When it comes to digital technology the KSA have recently been up against the new generation of bloggers. Where before they’ve been able to control information on the airwaves or in print, they’re now faced with anonymous bloggers airing their views in cyberspace- a platform that’s much more difficult to control.
Just last year a Saudi blogger, who dared to use his own name, was released after spending 4 months in prison for posting an article on the advantages and disadvantages of being a Muslim. 32 year old Fouad al Farhan was detained in Jeddah and denied the services of a lawyer. There was a public protest amongst bloggers who launched an internet campaign to free Fouad. They set up a website with a petition and an appeal from his children http://en.freefouad.com/ . He was eventually released after 4 months of ‘questioning’ without any charge.
Recently the 3rd annual forum for Arab Press Freedom was held in Beirut. News editors and press freedom advocates attended from many Arab nations. Saudi Arabia would not allow any press to leave the country to attend the forum.
During the forum they discussed “The Changing Face of Arab Blogging,” and members expressed their anger about Fouad al Farhan’s arrest and treatment. He was also banned from attending. One speaker from Egypt said “Bloggers were viewed as a growing threat by authorities in the Arab world and many had faced harassment, torture or imprisonment.”
Saudi Arabia can carry on censoring reports, shutting down TV channels and punishing those that ‘cross the line’, but the fact is people are talking more freely than ever. Conventional journalism might be restricted, but as technology like blogs and twitter become more popular and widely used people are becoming their own source of information… citizen press. How long will the government be able to keep a lid on this?
An interesting link about the Arab Press Freedom Forum:
http://www.4shared.com/file/84961157/8472750f/Saudi_Presentation.html
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tagged: Arab Press Freedom, Fouad al Farhan, Press Freedom, Saudi Arabia
I found what you have written Nina corresponds with what we are writing about on our blog. I know you have targeted press freedom, but that is why citizen journalism in Saudi Arabia has become more apparent because the media is so censored. This can be found in most countries in the Middle East one major example is Egypt, they have the largest amount of bloggers.
During certain events in the Middle East where the population feel the Media is being censored or the information they are receiving is biased then citizen journalism comes into play. This gives the public a wider platform to express their views as individuals instead of having a government spokesperson expressing their ideas for them.
Very interesting Blog – i do remember covering a similar subject in our International Politics class, which gave me the incentive to leave this comment.