Washington Post Column Is Blank for a Reason

It's the space supposed to be filled by missing journalist Jamal Khashoggi
By Newser Editors,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 5, 2018 7:41 AM CDT
Washington Post Column Is Blank for a Reason
A screen shot of the online column by Jamal Khashoggi in the Washington Post. It's blank for a reason.   (Washington Post)

The Washington Post has printed one of the most unusual op-ed pieces in its history. It consists of a byline—that of Jamal Khashoggi—and then is followed by blank space. In both its print and online versions, the space where Khashoggi's column should be has been left deliberately empty, reports the BBC. It's the newspaper's way of protesting the journalist's disappearance in Saudi Arabia. Khashoggi, a frequent critic of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, has not been seen since Tuesday. He visited the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, on that day, and while the Saudis say he left the building, Turkish officials say they don't think he did.

The Post also has an editorial about the situation in which it asks the crown prince to make sure that Khashoggi is OK. The piece notes that the de facto Saudi leader is trying to modernize his nation's image by doing away with its authoritarian old ways. "If he is truly committed to this, he will welcome constructive criticism from patriots such as Mr. Khashoggi," says the editorial. "And he will do everything in his power to ensure that Mr. Khashoggi is free and able to continue his work." (More Washington Post stories.)

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