Al-Dossary: Crown Prince does not accept flattery

Saudi Gazette

17-03-2025

Saudi Gazette report
RIYADH — Saudi Minister of Media Salman Al-Dossary emphasized that Saudi media is the strongest, most influential, and most widely spread in the Arab world and it enjoys a high level of freedom compared to some surrounding countries. He stated that Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman does not accept either false praise or flattery. "We work with him and listen to him, and we know that this is his approach. However, there is a difference between highlighting our achievements — which is an essential role of the media — and false praise that is unacceptable and undesirable," he said while attending Al-Liwan program on the Rotana Khalejia channel.
Al-Dossary emphasized that the Saudi government does not demand the press to practice "praise," saying, "Praise is not required." He noted that Saudi media is the best model of media freedom, characterized by disciplined freedom. "The ceiling of media freedom in Saudi Arabia is not as low as some claim. We have disciplined freedoms, and we do not accept the distortion of these freedoms," he said.
Speaking with renowned Saudi journalist Abdullah Al-Mudaifer, the minister highlighted that the media's paramount mission is embodied in its inherent role in exposing flaws, as criticism is a fundamental duty undertaken by the media. The Ministry of Media regulates the media scene without controlling it, he said.
The minister emphasized that there is a high sense of responsibility among the media and media professionals in the Kingdom. "Today, journalists have self-censorship and they know the interests of the state and can avoid sensitivities or adhere to a certain limit they set themselves. The same applies to media institutions, and we rely heavily on this sense, and not on the daily oversight that we do not have," he said.
Al-Dossary emphasized that media professionals must fulfill their role while citing that one of their fundamental roles is to expose flaws. "We encourage them to do so as long as it is within the disciplined freedom. They have the right to speak to citizens in the manner they see fit to serve their country," he said while affirming that the media's criticism of services is part of its fundamental duty, and in doing so, it provides a service to the government, and we do not consider it a negative matter."Regarding the challenges facing Saudi media, the minister stated that the real challenge lies in the sector's ability to keep pace with technology. "There is no old or new media, but rather national media that presents you, whether it is a television channel, a website, or a social media account. We provide positive content, much more than negative or degrading content, but the real challenge is keeping pace with technology."Regarding the demise of print journalism, Al-Dossary commented: "This does not worry me because paper is a means, not an end. What worries me is the death of the journalist. When we talk about the three pillars of Saudi media, the foundation is the journalist. When we talk about positive content, influencers, and content creators, the foundation is the journalist,' he pointed out.'In the previous period, it was the journalistic kitchen that created journalists, and with the absence of print journalism, it has become difficult to find them. What we must work today is the survival of the journalist and our role is as an enabler to protect him from death through the existing media academies and partnerships with major companies such as Google, Amazon, and others, as well as with ministries and agencies.'Regarding the future of the sector in the country, Al-Dosari said: "We have two main pillars in Saudi media: national media and media economics. When we talk about the former, it is purposeful across all its platforms and represents and advances the Kingdom's Vision by 2030. As for the latter, unfortunately, for many periods, the media has been a burden on the state. We need to increase its contribution to the GDP, which currently stands at less than 1 percent, at 0.4 percent. However, we aim to increase it by 150 percent by 2030."Regarding employment opportunities in the sector, he emphasized the importance of this issue for the media system, noting: "In 2023, we had more than 60,000 jobs, and we aim to reach 150,000 jobs by 2030, a 100 percent increase over current jobs."Regarding the leakage of advertising revenues abroad, the minister considered the Saudi market, advertisers, and media to be the largest in the Arab region, and that advertising lost abroad amounts to 90 percent, instead of being recorded as part of the media's contribution to the GDP. 'Therefore, we aim to keep all advertising spending in Saudi media outlets and entities within the Kingdom, preventing it from leaking abroad,' he added.