MEDIA-Persian Gulf: Media Try to Come Out of the State's Shadow
IGC News Desk
Worldwide distribution via the APC networks.
*** 29-Nov-99 ***
Title: MEDIA-GULF: Media Try to Come Out of the State's Shadow
By Sanjay Upadhya
DUBAI, Nov 29 (IPS) - Long working from the shadows of the
omnipresent state, the media in the Arabian Gulf region are
showing some signs of openness. But journalists believe the real
challenge will be to keep open the door of independence.
Newspapers in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are uncovering
instances of corruption and ineptitude among civil servants.
Policy differences between the country's health minister and a
senior woman official in the ministry recently spilled over into
the newspapers. In recent weeks, government officials, many of
them members of the ruling families, have urged newspapers to
come out with ''constructive criticism''.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the crown prince of
Dubai, one of the seven emirates that form the UAE, inaugurated a
press club earlier this month saying the time had come to raise
the standard of journalism in the region.
Media organisations in the Gulf Arab states have long
perfected the art of self-censorship into a technique of
journalism. Staff on the region's English-language publications,
many of whom are from South Asia, say they find this an easy way
of adapting to a media environment they say is often foggy.
Even for the expatriate journalists on Arabic-language
newspapers -- who are mostly from Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon --
the compulsions for self-censorship are evident. The authorities
have often ordered newspapers temporarily closed because of
lapses on the copydesks and have imposed other form of penalties.
Even in the midst of efforts to change, there are still
clearly identifiable no-go areas. Critical commentaries on the
ruling families, structure of government and religion are largely
absent.
The Arabic-language papers report and comment on business and
social affairs, lack of unity in the Arab world and ways of
confronting what is seen as confrontationist Israeli policies.
In the English-language newspapers, however, the opinion pages
rarely contain articles concerning the country or region. Even on
the news pages, parliamentary proceedings in archenemy Israel
tend to get more coverage than deliberations in the region's own
consultative councils.
The Gulf's moves towards media openness may have been inspired
by the arrival of Al Jazeera satellite television in Qatar three
years ago.
With its mix of in-depth coverage and no-holds-barred
interviews, Al Jazeera is widely watched all over the Arab world.
''Jazeera provides a space of freedom to the Arab viewer,'' says
reporter Jamal Demiloj. ''Before, Arabs didn't have any idea of
media freedom.''
But that freedom has come at a price. Over the last year, Al
Jazeera bureaus were temporarily shut down in Kuwait and Jordan
because the station carried programmes deemed offensive by those
governments.
Mohammed Jassim Al Ali, the managing director of Al Jazeera,
says the station has also struggled to attract advertisements
because of political pressure exerted by Arab governments on key
business groups. Gulf journalists say there are several
roadblocks to full press freedom, adding that officials seek to
curtail the scope of coverage by regularly invoking the call for
a ''responsible press''.
''Freedom is a charming word and its suppression poses a
threat to society, while responsibility is not bad unless used as
a weapon against freedom,'' says Ahmed Al Bosta of Bahrain's 'Al
Ayam' newspaper.
Editors often complain that those in lower levels of authority
are still uncomfortable with journalists who are not subservient.
''As a working journalist in the UAE, I come across examples
almost daily -- some minor, others more disturbing -- of attempts
to influence media coverage,'' says Malcolm Ward, news editor of
Dubai's 'Gulf News'.
''These can range from demands to change articles prior to
publication -- always strongly resisted -- to intimidation of
individuals. Not everyone believes that constructive criticism
can be a good thing and some discomfort of government officials
is a small price to pay for informed debate and decisions,'' Ward
wrote in a recent article.
Reporters say getting timely access to news is another
problem. ''Officials seem to want to hold on to information that
ordinarily should have been in the public domain, believing that
reporters by the nature of their job are irresponsible,'' a
reporter working for the UAE government media says.
Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE's Minister of
Information and Culture, says, ''It is difficult to speak about
local press freedom while the media machine is not run by local
journalists.''
Officials say they want legislation that would make it
mandatory for media organisations to recruit locals as a certain
percentage of their staff.
''Press freedom will develop only when awareness of the role
of the media has developed among readers, writers and
officials,'' said Sheikh Abdullah, a member of the Abu Dhabi
royal family.
Many journalists want to see how Dubai's new press club can
work in that direction. ''The Dubai Press Club can act as a
catalyst by providing a forum for newspaper proprietors, editors
and journalists to meet and talk freely with government
officials and others about the need for greater freedom of
information and by extension, the role of a freer, more
responsible media,'' the 'Gulf News' Ward says.
Others point out that the campaign for transparency is being
conducted in uncharted waters. ''We must not forget that this is
still an experiment,'' says an editor working for an Arabic-
language newspaper in the UAE. ''The openness we seem to be
witnessing could be reversed if too many stories happen to touch
too many raw nerves.'' (END/IPS/su/an/99)
Origin: New Delhi/MEDIA-GULF/
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