Saudi Arabia’s Press: The New McCarthyism

Saudi Arabia’s Press: The New McCarthyism
By: Mariam Abdallah – 27 Decemebr, 2011 – Al-Akhbar

From cartoons depicting remotely controlled protesters to claims that traditional herb chewing “induces” homosexuality, coverage of dissent in the Saudi Kingdom is becoming increasingly untenable.

An opinion poll on the website of the Saudi foreign ministry reveals that 75 percent of Saudis do not trust the Kingdom’s media. Instead, many resort to the international press to find out the truth about events in their country.

Lately, calls have been issued to boycott some newspapers because of their biased coverage of certain local issues. One of these calls came from residents of Qatif, an area in eastern Saudi Arabia, after al-Yaum newspaper published a cartoon last month by Mahmoud al-Hamthani in which he called peaceful protesters “subversives associated with foreign agendas.”

The cartoon which angered Qatif residents depicted a protester with a transmitter on his head controlled from a distance through a remote control. It clearly accuses protesters in Qatif of sabotage and of being used by foreign actors to implement a foreign agenda.

The provocative drawing came on the heels of the alleged murder of four young men who participated in a peaceful protest in Qatif at the hands of security forces.

As soon as the cartoon was published Qatif residents raised calls for a boycott of the newspaper. They also called for new media to represent their view of events.

As such, social networking sites have become a more effective platform for Saudi citizens because they are uncensored. “That is why online activists have become faster in transmitting the truth and interacting with it than local newspapers that reflect their owners’ views,” tweeted lawyer Walid Abu al-Khair.

Malik Fatil, a journalist working for al-Yaum, resigned in protest after the cartoon was published. “It did not only insult specific individuals, it targeted Qatif in general. The name of the region was clearly mentioned under the cartoon,” he said. “The people expected an apology from the newspaper’s management. When that did not happen, sales in the area dropped after the boycott call.” …more