Gulf News reports that Dr Jeffrey Cole, from University of Southern California (it's not "Southern Carolina" Gulf News!), and Dr Duy Linh Tu, from Columbia Graduate School of Journalism, was at Zayed University in both Dubai and Abu Dhabi blogging and the internet.
It's all well and good to invite some people who are supposedly experts at the field and that have studied it, but the article doesn't mention if there were any local bloggers at these events. Does anyone know whether any local talent was there to talk about blogging in the UAE? I know many prefer to stay anonymous for various reasons but surely they could have found someone willing to discuss this from a local/regional perspective. Or perhaps someone was there and the article just doesn't say.
21 January, 2007
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Building being demolished in Abu Dhabi
Call Etisalat if you can't view it
I was there, the lecture was in late October I believe.
Blogging is not considered journalism by most academics or journalists.
I pretty much agree with that -- for the most part bloggers have neither the work experience or education to qualify as accredited journalists.
This doesn't preclude bloggers from providing commentary or even breaking news stories for that matter -- but to label them as journalists would be the same as labeling someone who watches a lot of NYPD BLUE an actual Police Officer.
It's strange really, almost as if some bloggers feel the need to acquire a sort of "legitimacy."
I pretty much agree with that -- for the most part bloggers have neither the work experience or education to qualify as accredited journalists.
Except of course journalists that are also bloggers themselves.
But I see this repeatedly: more and more forums and sessions on blogging coming up at various media conferences, and not once has anyone been approached via UAE comm to speak as a representative. There was some Arab blogging forum in Dubai which I think Mahmood from Bahrain took part in, but no one from here.
If anyone from the UAE ever gets invited, it will probably be someone from Weyak.ae.
"Except of course journalists that are also bloggers themselves."
Absolutely, I should have included them as well. Chris Matthews, Tim Russert, Bill O'Reilly (shudder) all have blogs (as do most print journalists).
My concern here is that bloggers don't appear to fully appreciate their role in the media food chain.
Also there are quite a lot of UAE journalists and media people blogging. Some openly, others anonymously.
For a lot of journalists here it's an outlet to vent about things they are not allowed to write about.
Do any UAE bloggers want to take part in public conferences? I'm not sure they do as it would mean their identity being made public. And you know how paranoid people get here.
It also assumes that most UAE bloggers actually have something interesting to say...
How can they get away with this
Do any UAE bloggers want to take part in public conferences?
My identity is not exactly a state-secret, but then I write mostly about pretty benign stuff compared to many other bloggers.
It also assumes that most UAE bloggers actually have something interesting to say...
That's true ;-)
Do any UAE bloggers want to take part in public conferences? I'm not sure they do as it would mean their identity being made public. And you know how paranoid people get here.
Personally speaking I couldn't, but I do know of bloggers that could, and would love to be involved.
I dont want the world to know who I am, although alot of you do know who i am ;-)
But still, do you really think my first name is Jassim?
pff...
Well then if bloggers don't mind being public, then perhaps they should collectively circulate their details to the media.
Doesn't answer the second - arguably more important - point about how many of them having something worth saying?
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