Saudi media official fired over fake news
Official sacked over publishing ‘incorrect’ news about Riyadh development plan
Cairo: A Saudi media official has been dismissed from his post for publishing an “incorrect” piece of news on an ambitious development plan for the Saudi capital, local newspapers have reported.
The head of the media department at the Royal Commission for Riyadh City has been sacked, and other employees will be interrogated for publishing an item claiming a decision by the commission’s board to launch the 3030 strategy for Riyadh, the official Saudi news agency SPA reported. The official’s name was not disclosed.
“The news is incorrect and baseless,” it added. What happened was that the commission’s board decided to delay the launch of the master plan to the year 2022 due to its large scale and incompletion of some “important elements,” it added.
The board also decided to finalise the strategy next year, and approve it before launching it according to timetables, according to SPA.
Earlier this year, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said the kingdom aims to transform Riyadh into one of the world’s 10 biggest city economies and double its population to reach 15 million by 2030.