Al-Madina newspaper

It has become apparent after several recent incidents that our media industry needs to be cleansed of the imposters and “intruders” that are wildly popular on social media platforms. One of the recent incidents I am talking about involved a social media “clown” who is known for his attention-seeking antics. He insulted Saudi women, thinking he was funny but all he did was reveal his own ignorance that prevents him from distinguishing between bluntness and rudeness and between objective comedy and bad behavior.

Another incident involved a popular media personality who went on TV and began inappropriately flirting with one of the program presenters. He was supposed to be part of an important discussion and instead he said on air what many young men would be ashamed to say in private. His actions went viral and many news agencies in the Arab and international world published the story, which portrayed Saudi society in a bad light.

These two incidents were preceded by several others and surely more will follow unless there are strict rules and regulations put in place to stop intruders without obstructing freedom of opinion or speech. Therefore, I suggest that the Minister of Culture and Information Dr. Awwad Al-Awwad, who made a decision recently to stop broadcasting any series or program in which there is abusive or offensive language, issue a strict law that is applied without exceptions. In this context, the Ministry of Culture and Information has a mission, which it must carry out; but the most important role is played by members of society who can stop watching and supporting these social media clowns.