The Supervisory Role of Digital Media in Combating Corruption Based on the Kingdom’s Vision 2030: A Field Study on a Sample of Communication Officials in Saudi Newspapers and News Accounts

This study is a descriptive, explanatory study. It aimed at monitoring and analyzing the supervisory role of digital media in combating corruption based on the Kingdom’s Vision 2030. Study sample was comprised of a number of communication officials working in Saudi newspapers and news accounts. Moreover, it relied in its theoretical framework and in its questions on ‘Social Responsibility Theory’.
The results of the study revealed that more than 95% of the communication officials working in Saudi newspapers and news accounts believe that digital media have been highly interested in news and developments in the anti-corruption file following the announcement of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030. Nonetheless, the results demonstrated that crimes of administrative and financial corruption come on top of the most important topics and cases of corruption crimes which interest the communication officials working in Saudi news media.
In addition, the results indicated that the follow-up and attention paid to the new of anti-corruption and protection of integrity come on top of the list of digital media efforts dedicated for combating corruption, exposing the perpetrators, and enhancing transparency. However, professional and societal responsibilities come on top of the list of supervisory efforts of Saudi digital media for dealing with and tackling corruption issues.
Finally, the results of the study indicated that written texts and images are the most prominent media forms which communication officials in Saudi newspapers and news accounts rely on in exercising their supervisory role in combating corruption. Nonetheless, most of the study sample members believe that digital media play their supervisory role in combating corruption (to some extent), and attributed this shortcoming to the lack in training communication officials in the first place.