Media of Saudi Arabia

Newspapers are privately owned but are subsidized and regulated by the government. Newspapers may only be created by royal decree.^[1] Because the Basic Law states that the media’s role is to educate and inspire national unity, most popular grievances go unreported in Saudi Arabia. In recent years, however, the government has allowed some critical stories to be written by selected journalists. Although self-censorship continues to be a method of self-preservation for the nation’s media outlets, government censorship seems to be decreasing, especially on journalistic inquiries into crime and terrorism.^[2]

The government owns and operates the radio and television companies (BSKSA) in Saudi Arabia. Censors remove objectionable material deemed offensive by the standards of Islam, including references to pork, Christianity and other religions, alcohol, and sex. Saudi citizens, however, have greater access to previously banned television broadcasts than ever before. According to the U.S. State Department’s annual report on human rights practices, several million Saudis have satellite dishes that allow them to receive foreign television stations. Additionally, government censorship of the Internet has proved difficult. Although government officials monitor Internet sites for material deemed pornographic, politically offensive, or anti-Islamic, Saudi Internet users can gain access to most sites by simply connecting through an alternative server. The government recently created an appeals process by which citizens can request that particular websites be unblocked.^[2]

References

1. ^ BBC article
2. ^ ^{a b} Arabia.pdf Saudi Arabia country profile. Library of Congress Federal Research Division (September 2006). This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.