RIYADH: Two highly anticipated appearances of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s on two major American TV channels have created much anticipation since their announcement.
Saudis will tune in to the crown prince’s interview with Norah O’Donnell on CBS’ “60 Minutes” on Sunday, Sept. 29. This will be the crown prince’s second interview with the anchor of the “CBS Evening News.” During her first interview, in March 2018, the crown prince made significant statements about his vision for a new Saudi Arabia and about how the events of 1979 changed the region for the worse.
That interview was a point of discussion for many months.
There is also an in-depth PBS Frontline profile of the crown prince by veteran journalist Martin Smith which will be aired on Oct. 1.
According to a preview of the profile, the program’s highlight is the crown prince’s statement that the murder of Saudi journalist-turned-critic Jamal Khashoggi happened “under my watch,” but without his knowledge.
According to what has been reported so far about the interview, the crown prince’s answer to Smith’s question of his alleged prior knowledge was: “We have 20 million people. We have 3 million government employees.”
To another pointed question from Smith on how the killers could have taken private government jets, the crown prince’s response was: “I have officials, ministers to follow things, and they’re responsible. They have the authority to do that.”
PBS also speaks to Saudi ministers, journalists and officials.
