Turki Al-Dakhil

By : Turki Aldakhil

:: With the death of Turki al-Sudairi, the mentor of an entire generation, may his soul rest in peace, Saudi Arabia loses ones of its most important pillars of journalism. The late noble-minded man founded an entire generation of journalists and instilled journalism-related concepts at a time when the field was nothing worth mentioning in the country. He died aged 73 and throughout his life, he always remained loyal to his country. Whenever the country faced a disaster, he was among the first of men to rise and fight to defend it.

He wanted enlightenment and openness for his country but without losing its originality or denying its legacy. The path of Al-Riyadh newspaper, which he was the former editor-in-chief of, was that of enlightenment. Some stirred trouble because they did not understand his drives and the aims of his proposals. He had friendly ties with Saudi kings. Late King Abdullah, may he rest in peace, called him the “king of journalists,” and he was close to the friend of journalists, King Salman bin Abdulaziz. He was kind and famous for his humanitarian work. He was generous; the good deeds he did without telling anyone are much more than what people are aware of.

God bless the late noble Turki al-Sudairi who did all he could for journalistic achievements in Saudi Arabia and developed the field.

Turki Aldakhil is the General Manager of Al Arabiya News Channel. He began his career as a print journalist, covering politics and culture for the Saudi newspapers Okaz, Al-Riyadh and Al-Watan. He then moved to pan-Arab daily Al-Hayat and pan-Arab news magazine Al-Majalla. Turki later became a radio correspondent for the French-owned pan-Arab Radio Monte Carlo and MBC FM. He proceeded to Elaph, an online news magazine and Alarabiya.net, the news channel’s online platform. Over a ten-year period, Dakhil’s weekly Al Arabiya talk show “Edaat” (Spotlights) provided an opportunity for proponents of Arab and Islamic social reform to make their case to a mass audience. Turki also owns Al Mesbar Studies and Research Centre and Madarek Publishing House in Dubai. He has received several awards and honors, including the America Abroad Media annual award for his role in supporting civil society, human rights and advancing women’s roles in Gulf societies. He tweets @TurkiAldakhil.

Disclaimer: Views expressed by writers in the Column section are their own and do not reflect RiyadhVision’s point-of-view.

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