This AP story about Saudi Arabia from Tuesday caused a sizable stir. The Saudi Kingdom, a dictatorship really, likes to control everything, and the nation was evidently stung Tuesday when the AP report came out that said King Abdullah told Saudi newspaper editors to stop publishing pictures of women because, quoting that story, "they could make young men go astray."
The pictures in question, according to the Associated Press, were all of veiled women.
Well, either the Saudis, in the name of their king, are trying to backtrack from the report, or the mainstream media got it wrong.
From the Arab News:
The king said, "There are photographs published in some newspapers ... and one needs to think if one would want one's daughter, sister or wife to appear like that. Of course, no one would."
King Abdullah was referring to pictures which are used for the sake of sensationalism. At no point during his meeting with the editors did the king warn local media against publishing pictures of Saudi women, as reported by the news agencies. The wire agencies completely misinterpreted and misrepresented the king's views.
A senior official from the Ministry of Culture and Information also denied reports that the king had banned publication of women's pictures in the local media. "King Abdullah has not issued any royal decree against the publication of women's pictures in Saudi media," the official told Arab News.
The official, who heard Abdullah speaking to the journalists, said: "The king was referring to indecent pictures in general and not women's pictures in particular. He didn't allude to women at all."
AP says the Saudi papers show only pictured veiled women, the Saudis say the king was opposed to "sensationalized" pictures.
One story is wrong on the facts.
Technorati tags: Saudi Arabia AP Saudis MSM News Media King Abdullah
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