抖阴短视频

LONDON: Ahmad Zaki Yamani, the longest-serving Saudi petroleum minister who oversaw the implementation of the oil embargo of 1973, is considered among the towering figures of the global energy market. It is therefore no surprise that his death at the age of 90 on Tuesday was picked up by international news agencies.

What is surprising, however, is how many of these reputable media outlets 鈥� including ones in Yamani鈥檚 native 抖阴短视频 鈥� got one major fact wrong about the late minister鈥檚 career. 

Indeed, several major news outlets in the Kingdom referred to Yamani as the first ever secretary general of OPEC. These outlets include the Kingdom鈥檚 main business daily , the English-language daily Saudi Gazette, the highly quoted newspaper, news portal and even the Saudi Broadcasting Authority鈥檚 official state newscaster, . 

Of course, as per the list of secretary generals on , the first official to hold this position was Iran鈥檚 Fuad Rouhani. 抖阴短视频 was one of OPEC鈥檚 five founding members in 1960, represented at the time by former oil minister Abdullah Touraiggi, who was succeeded in that role by Yamani in 1962. 

The only Saudi national to become OPEC secretary-general was Mohammad Saleh Joukhdar 鈥� the fourth official to take helm 鈥� from Jan. 1, 1967, until Dec. 31 the same year.

An editorial review of the published Arabic-language articles containing this factual error suggests the source of the mistake was Yamani鈥檚 Arabic language Wikipedia page. The page lists 鈥淔irst secretary-general of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, OPEC鈥� under . 

However, none of the outlets that relied on the noticed that this information was unattributed to any source, and was excluded altogether in the English-language version of the same page. 

A simple phone call or even a cursory skim of  would have revealed that Yamani鈥檚 name does not appear as the first 鈥� or indeed at all. Despite his legendary standing and influence, the late minister was never a secretary-general, but was in fact the first Saudi representative on the OPEC board of governors. 

Many international media outlets, including the relied on local Saudi press coverage 鈥� namely 鈥� and failed to verify the facts for itself.

The same mistake was committed by the Dubai-based , which carried the factual error because it relied on the same report by 抖阴短视频鈥檚 .

Other outlets that got it wrong were the London-based Asharq Al-Awsat, Turkey鈥檚 and the US-State Department-funded , which tweeted a homage to Yamani, claiming he was 鈥渢he first secretary-general of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), for a period of 25 years.鈥�

Interestingly, Qatari-owned Al-Jazeera claimed Yamani was the first secretary-general of OPEC for five years since the organization鈥檚 establishment in Geneva 1960 and its move to Vienna in 1965. 

However, as is often the case with the controversial Doha-based broadcaster, the mistake was limited to its Arabic-language platforms, while its English-language service appears to have got it right.

Speaking to Arab News over the phone, a spokesperson for OPEC in Vienna firmly denied that Yamani was ever a secretary-general, nor was he the first conference president. He was in fact the fourth 鈥� a role he presided over seven times, first in 1962.

鈥淚t all comes down to the basics of journalism fact-checking and verification, the bread and butter of every professional and self-respecting journalist,鈥� Dr. Jad Melki, associate professor of journalism and media studies at the Lebanese American University and director of the Institute of Media Research and Training, told Arab News.

鈥淚n the rush to report first in a 24-hour news cycle, many news outlets are making basic errors that can easily be avoided. They risk losing credibility in the long run and that will spell their demise.鈥�

For his part, a Saudi reporter who is a member of the Kingdom鈥檚 journalists association (SJA) described the incident as an 鈥渋ndustry-level scandal.鈥�

鈥淚t is embarrassing in so many ways, for us not to know our own history, for some of the most reputable media outlets in the region to rely on sources like Wikipedia, it all makes you wonder how many other mistakes go unnoticed on daily basis,鈥� he told Arab News.

• Tarek Ali Ahmad is the head of Arab News Research & Studies; Twitter: