Exposed

Perhaps this incident will force Aramco to review its IT and computer systems policies, especially policies that allow multiple users access to both unclassified and classified information at the same time. Aramco should also reconsider the policy which allows expatriate employees to run information systems and then divulge such information following their exit from the country. 

In my opinion, such policies expose our companies’ systems to hackers.Muhammad Mashat Al-Madinah newspaper translated on Saudigazette


There is an interesting shadow of thought in the concept expressed by the columnist .
And it is in the fact that he considers foreigners as the only medium through which a crime can be perpetrated .
Having learned today that a terror plot was uncovered, the theory of the bad expats, is slightly untrue .

There is some ignorance in this way of thinking and also the inability to analyse facts .
But with time and education some flaws will be cured .

Sand pens

The tradition of bloggers I described before, started from the need to have a reliable account of the life in Arab countries .
And this was not possible, due to the fact that ten or fifteen years ago, the press was really not free .
After blogs came, things changed depending on the place .
Governments understood the importance of transparency .

One of those , which in my opinion made great steps ahead, was Saudi Arabia .
There this great myth about Saudi newspapers being just regime puppets .
But this is very far from truth .
Saudi journalists were those who showed a great will to be more open, and they were allowed to do so .
They have a huge ability to analyse facts and situations .
Of course they will never go on barricades yelling at the rulers who own the newspapers .
But they found their way to introduce issues in need to be re-examined by the establishment .
Actually I think that Arabnews and Saudigazette are among the best in the Gulf .

Kuwait and Bahraini newspapers reflect the complexity of the political situation .
Having a parliament and sectarian problems, does indeed make the difference .
Dialogue and confrontation, also on media, is inevitable .
Qatar press, is of course represented by al Jazeera, which both in its Arabic and English versions, were supposed to be the fresh revolution within the Arab world .
And they were, initially .
Then the leadership, probably pressed also by America, realized it was better to have media tackling issues in a certain way .
And the dream came to an end .
Nowadays Qatari publications, in my humble opinion, are just flat .

Then there is the Emarati, which keep their taste of independence, but indulge too much in celebrating their rulers and highlighting how bad the rest of the Gulf governments are .
In Oman the situation is at low levels since the times of Sultan Said bin Taimur .
When Qaboos came to the throne, despite being very liberal, didn't do really much to encourage free press .
The current Minister is very strict (I am telling what journalists there say, not sure it is true . Omanis have this tendency to complain a lot .) and so the quality of press products is not really good .
It's enough to recall that H.M., every time some peculiar public remark from him is needed, he gives an interview to Ahmed al Jarallah, from Kuwait .
Other then being in friendly terms with the Sultan, Ahmed is a good journalist, and of course he's picked not to show that the interview is a sort of advertising for H.M.
But this move gives also the feeling that Qaboos very well knows the limits of local press .
Last but not least, we have Yemenis .
Their production in Arabic is very interesting, but also English newspapers, the times and the observer, are quite useful to give a glimpse of what is going on there .

Most journalists in the Gulf are nationals educated and trained abroad, but many are Indians .
They give a great input, not only to tell about their fellow citizens problems, but to bring ways to write about politics and social matters .