LONDON: Prince Faisal bin Salman, chairman of the Saudi Research and Marketing Group, has inaugurated the online version of The Majalla, SRMG’s political affairs magazine, which is marking a transition from print journalism to the world of e-publishing.
Prince Faisal inaugurated the website at the London headquarters of The Majalla. “Launching The Majalla in this new form is integral to making a landslide transition in the company’s publications and projects in order to keep up with major developments in the publishing industry regionally and globally,” said Prince Faisal.
“With increased emphasis on content investments in the upcoming years, the industry will be witnessing a huge transformation, which makes exacting demands on publishers. These investments seek to transmit content through electronic multimedia, such as TV, radio and mobiles,” he added.
Azzam Al-Dakhil, SRMG’s executive director, said the move comes at an important juncture in the group’s e-publishing history. He added that The Majalla has been able to attract world-famous writers to it electronic edition.
He also said that the move augurs well for the future of e-publishing in the Middle East and that the new project will fill in gaps in the political content of other Arabic publications.
In its new electronic format, The Majalla seeks to present a media concept that goes along with the qualitative edge it achieved throughout its history of a quarter century.
Adel Al-Toraifi, editor in chief of The Majalla, asserted that the magazine would provide a strategic political vision, which aims to explore the thorny issues of the region, and address the political and cultural issues at stake with a media professionalism that adheres to the principle of neutrality by engaging prominent politicians and intellectuals worldwide.
“The strategy adopted by the magazine is to explore the ideas behind the news to present the reader with a new style in Arab political journalism,” added Al-Toraifi.
The Majalla will be published online weekly and will discuss a wide range of topics, such as international and Arab political affairs, the current economic climate, and cultural and social issues. It will also recruit a host of distinguished international writers and academics. In addition to that, the magazine will feature a daily update of the most important news and events, keeping in line with specialized international political magazines in Arabic and English.
The new website will endeavor to present an interactive service that includes images and social networking sites, such as links to Facebook and a video library of important political discussions.
The first issue of the electronic magazine includes prominent writers, such as Karim Sadjadpour, senior researcher at Carnegie International Peace Endowment, and Parag Khanna, one of the most brilliant young intellectuals in the United States and author of “The Second World.”
The issue also includes an interview with former Lebanese President Amin Gemayel on the upcoming Lebanese elections and a full investigation of Shiite political expansion in Arab countries.
