The Sale and Purchase of Low-Morale Magazines and the Role of the Authorities

Question:
He says: Honorable Shaykh (may Allah preserve him), amen. What is the ruling of the Shari'ah, in your opinion, regarding the sale and purchase of low-morale magazines that spread poison in society and incite fitnah (trial, discord or temptation), which is one of the greatest trials? What is your role, and the role of the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, in these dangers?

Answer:
Any magazine or newspaper that publishes evil, calls to evil, and whose evil outweighs its good, must be prevented; it must be put an end to. However, if its evil is slight, one should strive to remove the evil and prevent it from spreading, so that it remains in what is good. It is obligatory for the officials in the Ministry of Media and the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, and for us and everyone who has the ability, to remove the evil and preserve the good. Every magazine or newspaper that publishes evil, or in which evil predominates, must be stopped. This falls under the category of enjoining good and forbidding evil, and under the category of advising one another to truth and being patient in it. Yes.