Saudi newspapers' handling of anti-corruption issues: An analytical study on a sample of Al-Riyadh and Okaz newspapers

The current study aims to identify the extent of the contribution of the Saudi daily newspapers to addressing anti-corruption issues in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in addition to identifying the mechanism by which this treatment was carried out and knowing the most prominent issues and personalities around which corruption topics revolved and the functions that were used during the handling process, also monitoring the solutions provided by the study newspapers to address corruption cases. It is a descriptive study, where the researcher used the survey method, using the content analysis tool, on a sample of the 20 newspapers of Riyadh and Okaz, which numbered 20 press issues, and it concluded the following results:
1- The results indicate that Okaz newspaper's coverage of issues related to corruption cases amounted to 79 topics, while the coverage of Al-Riyadh newspaper reached 35 topics.
2- The results showed that the most prominent journalistic arts that were used by the study newspapers while dealing with anti-corruption issues were the art of press news with a percentage of 78.9%, then the newspaper article with a percentage of 17.6%.
3- The results indicated that 94.7% of press articles related to corruption did not use color in them, while the percentage of using color was 5.3%.
4- The results showed that most of the topics related to anti-corruption issues came within the internal pages of the study newspapers at a rate of 94.7%, while the number of topics published on the last page was 3.5%.
5- The results revealed that the study newspapers, while dealing with corruption issues, relied on the "extended" title with a high rate of 37.7%, then the title "The Broad and the Manshet" with a rate of 33.3%.
6- The results show that most of the articles published by the study newspapers related to corruption cases did not add pictures or drawings by 35%, while the newspapers relied on “personal photos” with 28.9%, followed by “objective photos” with 19.2%.
7- The results confirmed that the study newspapers relied on the "press reporter" category with 54.4%, then the "press delegate" category with a lower rate of 18.4%.
8- The results of the study indicate that the most prominent corruption cases dealt with by the study newspapers are cases of “violating regulations” with a rate of 50.8%, followed by cases of “low services” by 26.3%, and then in the third place cases of “embezzlement of funds” by 15.7%.
9- The results of the study show that the most prominent jobs used by the study newspapers are the job of “informing and informing the public” with a percentage of 62.2%, and then the job of “commenting on events” at a rate of 21.9%.
10- The results of the study revealed that the most prominent personalities around whom anti-corruption issues were discussed and covered by the study newspapers were the category of "residents" with a percentage of 34.2%, then the category of "government officials" with a percentage of 30.7%.
11- The results indicate that the percentage of the topics presented that did not provide solutions to treat the issues amounted to 68.4%, while the most prominent proposals addressed by the study newspapers to treat corruption cases came the proposal for “improving services” by 22.8%, then the proposal for “transparency and oversight” reached 6 ,1%.