Participants in the 9th National Forum for Intellectual Dialogue have called for the definition of the concept of freedom and the raising of the level of media responsibility. Addressing the inaugural session on Freedom and Responsibility in Saudi Media, Faisal Bin Muammar, Secretary General of the King Abdullah Center for National Dialogue said, “Dialogue is not extravagance but a human necessity.” Talal Aal Al-Sheikh, Editor-in-Chief of Al-Watan, said the national dialogue should be more effective and continuous throughout the year instead of being limited to two or three days. He pointed out that genuine freedom is one that tackles issues, touching the public and assesses the performance of government institutions. He stressed that the media should deal with professionalism and credibility and above all in observance to Allah. He said “freedom is not a means to please the Ministry of Culture and Information or some of the officials at the expense of the people's concerns. Also, freedom does not mean that the Ministry of Information and the responsible committee look into complaints according to the status of the defendant.” Dr. Adel Al-Shibli stressed the importance of pondering over new media realities saying that freedom is a principle guaranteed by Islam and the Kingdom's laws, Al-Watan Arabic daily reported. He also proposed the drawing up of a national code of ethics for the Saudi media that takes into consideration the national principles and sanctities. Hamad Al-Qadhi, member of the Shoura Council, said: “No media without freedom and no freedom without responsibility - this should be the guideline and the principle for any media, which wants to present a wise message.” Saudi columnist Fahd Amer Al-Ahmadi said that freedom comes before responsibility thus it is impossible to become responsible before you become free. He said: “Saudi journalists live in an atmosphere of uncertainty because they do not know whether their write-ups will be published or not and also the reasons as to why they are rejected.” He said the independent media needs freedom, which will allow it to assume responsibility. Dr. Noora Al-Mirri said there is a lack of understanding of the idea of responsible freedom. “People should understand that shouldering responsibility should be learnt from school days and from home,” she said. She pointed out that her students in university do not know the meaning of the freedom of expression or opinion. The crucial question raised was: Is the Saudi media a means or an end? There is no clear characteristic for the Saudi media – where it begins and where it ends. Other participants at the ninth intellectual forum discussed the suspension of journalists and banning them from traveling when they tackle social issues such as poverty and reform. Muhammad Al-Nonan said whoever defines the limits of freedom should heed the Islamic Shariah which defines these limits. Al-Nonan said the Ministry of Culture and Information is no longer capable of controlling media after the emergence of telecommunications and IT which have turned the world into a small village. The session was concluded with comments by Qainan Al-Ghamdi, Editor-in-Chief of Al-Sharq, who said: “What has been raised in this session are commonalities which the center has lost and wasted one whole year in discussing. What we need to discuss in the media is the training and freedom of the flow of information.” Deputy Minister of Culture and Information Dr. Abdullah Al-Jasser told participants that freedom is not absolute and that he differs with their definitions on the concept of freedom. He said: “We in the Ministry of Information know the concept of media. The Saudi media should be honest.'
