Saudi Arabia Bans Issue of National Geographic With Article

Oct 3, 2003
Saudi Arabia Bans Issue of National Geographic With Article on Country
The Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) - Getting a cover story in National Geographic would please most governments. That's why Saudi Arabia granted the magazine access to its people and society. But now the Saudi government doesn't want its residents to see the result.

Editors of National Geographic said they had been informed by their Middle East distributor that the October issue was banned by the Saudi government. No reason was given for the ban, but that issue carries a lengthy story on the kingdom. The Saudi embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The magazine said the Saudi government granted wide access to the country and interviews ranged from princes to poor fishermen, accompanied by photos of all parts of society.

Don Belt, the magazine's editor for geography and world affairs, said that while the Saudi government may be having earnest discussions about change, the country "is still a place that exercises near-total control over what its subjects are exposed to."

He recalled the Saudis also banned a 1987 issue of the magazine which included a story about Saudi women and a photo of an aerobics instructor in a full-body leotard.

"On the other hand, I'll bet newsstand sales in Qatar will be off the charts," he said in an e-mail, adding that that adjacent country never misses a chance to tweak the Saudis.

Normally National Geographic sells about 900 copies on newsstands in Saudi Arabia.

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