Saudi Arabia, the largest and most influential member of the GCC, has perhaps the most tightly controlled press in the Middle East. The Ministry of Information approves the hiring of editors and may dismiss them at will. Criticism of the government or the royal family is taboo, as is discussion of controversial political issues. At the very least, transgressors will be punished with dismissal from their jobs. The state tightly monitors foreign publications entering the kingdom, weeding out news that touches on sensitive internal political issues, criticizes Islam, or discusses the country s dismal human rights record.
Foreign journalists continue to face impediments in gaining entry to the country.
Saudi Arabia s tight control of the media also extends beyond the kingdom s national borders. In the 1990s, businessmen with close ties to the royal family invested heavily in the expanding pan-Arab media and now exercise tremendous leverage over its content and programming. Despite their ostensible editorial independence, some Saudi-owned publications have made a financial decision to censor themselves. From time to time, we have taken into consideration Saudi censorship. The Saudi government exerts considerable influence over the local press in other Arab countries.