MBC Group the largest media company in West Asia and North Africa owned by Sadui has fired Musaed al-Thubaiti a news director after the publication of controversial reports that labelled resistance leaders of Hezbollah and Hamas as “terrorists”, triggering huge outrage in the Middle East regions, especially in Iraq.
The move was declared after the violent demonstrators took over the MBC offices in the Iraqi capital Baghdad on October 19 attacking the employees and setting the equipment on fire after the media house unambiguously published reports.
The report, authored by journalist Mohammad Al-Mashari, was titled “Millennium of Salvation from Terrorists: The Figures Who Terrorized the World the World and Bloodshed”. It notoriously listed senior leaders of the Palestinian resistance movement such as Ismail Haniyeh, Saleh al Aruri and Yahya Sinwar as “terrorists”. Hezbollah’s slain chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, who was assassinated in an Israeli strike on southern Beirut last month was also mentioned in the list.
The action was taken by Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Media Regulation (GAMR), which summoned MBC officials for an investigation into the report. While criticizing the content that was published in the media, GAMR reminded that such content is against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s media regulations and policy and stated that it has been proactive in ensuring compliance with the standards.
GAMR emphasized that “it continuously monitors the extent of the media’s commitment to the Kingdom’s media regulations and content controls, and will not be lenient towards any violation.”
Iraq’s Communications and Media Commission also suspended MBC’s operating license in Iraq and demanded the shutdown of the company’s bureau in Baghdad. It noted: “In adherence to our duty under laws regulating the media sector and to prevent transgressions and uphold national values and public decency, and due to MBC’s repeated violations and disrespect toward fallen leaders and heroes of the resistance, we are committed to taking all necessary legal measures, including suspending MBC’s operations in Iraq,” as reported by Roya News.
