Yes, stating the obvious still passes as excellent journalism in the UAE. This is because Gulf News is letting its readers know that investors are attracted by returns. Along with an article a few days back about "temperatures increase as summer approaches" (or something similar), I wonder what future headlines are waiting for us:
- June to officially follow May.
- Restaurants to serve food during opening hours
- Shoppers are integral to mall revenues
Such entertainment! Such quality! No wonder Gulf News has about 50% of the UAE's readership and they are proud of it. Such is why they keep reminding us with their bar charts. I wonder what proportion of those readers need to be reminded that breakfast is taken in the morning and dinner in the evening.
http://www.gulfnews.com/business/Economy/10314004.html
Posts
27 comments:
PS: No offence to Mr Al-Mulla. I was just trying to make a point about GN.
There is no latitude to write anything edgy or thought-provoking so the GN is reduced to publishing the 'knowns" instead of the news.
You had a bad week end or something? getting all worked up on a bad title isn't good for your blood pressure you should try to relax.
On top of that the title is quoted which implies it comes from one of the very interesting comments of Mr. Al-Mulla. Probably not the best choice but not the end of the world just yet. :)
ROFLOL! excellent post =D
yes, reading GN CAN be THAT frustrating :)
also, if you remember, 'heavily pregnant women shouldnt drive'. i that was the straw that broke my back. havent looked at GN since.
Hehe, very nice post, gave me a chuckle. The quality of printed media truly is awe-inspiring here, isn't it? :)
I have since stopped reading GN and moved over to The National. I still continue to recieve the GN at my doorstep (the subscription is valid till July) but I trash it immd.
GN seriously mocks my intelligence.
GN as usual states the obvious. More dependent on press releases. The National on the other hand has a more analytical and investigate approach to reporting news.
JUST THINK..... and shift to The National.
My other observation is not based on any data. Jsut my personal opinion. GN seems to be the newspaper of the masses while TN is the choice of the intellectuals.
hahaha.....
good one Bu Jassem. I'd think that 'news' denoted novelty. Well, not necessarily according to the GN.
I hate when some ppl fake the smartness.
sorry
The quality of journalism reflects society. That's obvious.
And somehow Dubai doesn't have the world's largest bookshop now, does it.
I didn't know that intellectuals read newspapers. For that matter, I didn't even know that newspapers were supposed to reflect intellectualism of any sort. And if they did, I mean when exactly would they (intellectuals) have the time to read all those trivia-filled, guest-posted republished articles? Unless they had a penchant for downright kink. In that case, they wouldn't be intellectuals to begin with!
Think about it!
P.S.: The only local newspaper I look forward to reading is the Gulf News' Weekend Review, which contains opinions, biographies, book reviews & The Last Word by William Safire.
"GulfNews article results in thought provoking discussions on the UAE Community Blog"
GN headlines on May 18?
Well, I have my RSS feed set up for The National, The Gulf Snooze and the Khaleej Times.
That's enough - I get the headlines for the local stuff, read the bits that look interesting, laugh at the bits that are pitiful ..... and then purchase a quality newspaper for what's really happening in the world.
lol... this had me giggling... Great post Bujassem.
ha! The Gulf News...a constant source of entertainment, though never as it was intended to be.
LOL! This one made me crack up!
I didn't know that, thanks for letting me know Gulf News!
I lol'ed at the article, thanks OP.
anon 5:38: sports and city pages are usually the earliest ones to go in print, while the front/back ones are held till as late as possible, provided some important news is expected.
most often, during world cup matches etc line ups and analyses are printed on sports pages while results are reflected in a single/double coloumn on the front page.
by time the page was done, the match mustve been over and results available for print.
how can they call this journalism? I feel sorry for the journo forced to brothel his name on this...
Glad there are others that share my view on this.
Out of interest, Gulf News seriously misquoted one of my colleagues in yesterday's papers to the extent that we received many calls from confused and angry parties.
Honestly, Gulf News should be very careful. We'll be thinking very hard when renewal times comes along. With or without Rivoli.
You work for Rivoli? Honestly, what is that, a watch brand?
I don't work for Rivoli, but the purpose of mention was because (i believe) Gulf news offered the readers a free voucher at Rivoli if they buy a 1 year subscription.
Nice post, BuJassem. But that tells me you only started reading GN recently. I gave up about 15 years ago. Couldn't stand it anymore.
When you combine total bias (what a great attribute for a newspaper!) with absolute incompetence, you get GN.
Not that I have much hope for any of the other papers, either. The National's editor came out very clearly even before it was launched saying he wasn't here to rock the boat. Copying the masthead and layout from the Guardian isn't that difficult, I'm afraid. And soon after launch, the main headline one day (when there were a lot of awful things going on around the world) was astounding enough: Illegal Pet Trade Flourishes in Satwa. (Seems some animals proscribed by CITES were being sold.) It covered the whole page.
Most newspapers here operate on this principle as far as local UAE news is concerned:
If it's good news, we'll print it.
If it isn't, it never happened.
And if there's no good news available, we'll make some up.
That accounts for the headline you highlighted in your post.
I agree with your article but have to add that the GN Weekend Review is a good read; And Kinokuniya is a really big book store at Dubai Mall...
hi Tenali, thanks for your comment. Actually I been reading GN for more than 20 years (almost continuously). Many years ago they used to be very good. During my previous life abroad, it was my main source of UAE news (but I found sometimes the blogs proved more diverse sources of news). However now that I am back I am finding it insulting to read, it's really experienced a drop in quality. I hope they fix it soon.
On the other hand, I am enjoying TheNational like a breath of fresh air.
I agree with the last Anon.. Kunokunia is a fantastic bookshop.. and the very few times i went to the monstrosity called Dubai Mall were to visit that bookstore. It's still not perfect though, they need to make it more reader-friendly. A sofa here or a chair there would help.
I*, very true that Dubai doesn't boast the biggest bookshop yet. However with the economic downturn, who knows, we might have to become intellectuals to make dubai grow.
tainted, are u back? welcome.
Clever, cutting, and funny BJ :)
Not sure it's fair to blame the journalists or GN though.
Perhaps they're reluctant to be newsworthy for fear of offending someone and being lambasted for it ;)
As a rule, pap is usually what you get when people (in this case the media) are afraid of speaking out for fear of reprisal.
While not overtly government controlled, the media in the UAE self-censors in part (IMHO) because of the mixed messages they get from the powers that be. On the one hand media are "encouraged" to practice their profession (which would mean reporting NEWS), but on the other are threatened with punishment for covering taboo topics (e.g. the country's reputation), in ways which may not please their masters.
Best thing about Gulf News is the local news section reported by dearest and most revered Bassam Za'zaa. He brings a smile on most faces by his investigative reporting.
Another great thing is that GN is delivered at my place at 4 am (I know because I go to the mosque to pray) and even then it says "Late Edition"
Post a Comment
NOTE: By making a post/comment on this blog you agree that you are solely responsible for its content and that you are up to date on the laws of the country you are posting from and that your post/comment abides by them.
To read the rules click here
If you would like to post content on this blog click here