Ministry of Media (Saudi Arabia)

The ministry was founded in 1962 as the ministry of information. The first minister of information was Jamil Ibrahim Hejailan who held the post between March 1963 and December 1970. and 14 February 2009. His successor was Abdulaziz Khoja. His tenure as the minister of culture and information ended on 8 December 2014 when Abdulaziz Alkhedheiri was appointed to the post. On 29 January 2015 Adel Al Toraifi was appointed to the post. On 22 April 2017, Awwad Alawwad was appointed as minister. His primary mandate is to revitalize the culture and media industries at home, support government communications abroad and strengthen Saudi Arabia’s cultural relations around the world. On 27 December 2018, Turki Al-Shabana was appointed minister of media replacing Awwad Alawwad in the post who was appointed as a court advisor. On 25 February 2020, Majid Al Qasabi was appointed by royal decree as minister of media replacing Turki Al-Shabana. ==Organization and activities==

Censorship The ministry has "responsibility for all the Saudi media and other channels of information". Censorship is strict enough for works of the minister of culture and information himself: the former minister Abdulaziz Khojah's own works of poetry were banned in Saudi Arabia. Other bodies The ministry also oversees the activities of the following bodies: King Fahd Cultural Centre, Administration of Folklore, Saudi Society for Culture and Arts, General Administration of Cultural Activities and Literary Clubs, and General Administration for Literary Clubs. It is also responsible for the activities of the General Administration for Public Libraries and the General Administration for Cultural Relations. The Saudi Press Agency is also part of the ministry. In London and Tunis, the ministry has information offices. ==See also==