The American newspaper The Washington Post published on October 17 the last material in a column which was conducted by the journalist Gamal Khashoggi who was gone in Consulate General of Saudi Arabia. The editor of the edition received material from the translator in day of loss Khashoggi in Istanbul.
Material was not published at once as hoped that Khashoggi will return soon and will take part in his editing, the editor of The Washington Post Karen Attia wrote in the opening speech. "Now I have to recognize: it will not occur. It is its last column which I will edit for The Post. This column perfectly reflects its commitment and passion to freedom in the Arab world. Freedom for which it gave the life. I will be infinitely grateful that a year ago it chose The Post as the last journalistic house and gave us the chance to work together", – Attia wrote.
The column is called "What the Arab world most of all needs – it is freedom of speech". In it the journalist wrote that he is going to publish materials, in particular, and in Arabic that Arabs could "understand and discuss various aspects and difficulties of democracy in the USA and in the West".
Khashoggi explained that The Washington Post took the initiative to translate many of his columns and to publish them in Arabic. "If the Egyptian reads article disclosing the actual cost of the construction project in Washington, then he or she will be able to understand better consequences of similar projects on the homeland", – the journalist notes.
The Arab world needs the modern version of old transnational media that citizens could be informed on global events, Khashoggi is sure.
He argues that due to the lack of freedom of media in the countries of the Arab world citizens "are not able to solve adequately and furthermore publicly to discuss the issues affecting the region and their everyday life". According to the journalist, the state agenda dominates in public consciousness and though many do not trust it, all the same become the victims of this false agenda.