Wikileaks – Where is the UAE Media?
MATT J. DUFFY: I suggest that one—or preferably all—of the UAE’s press outlets compile a simple report analyzing the leaked cables. The report should be published without a byline so no single reporter can be sued.…
Strange Searches leading to Plastic Destination
ALEXANDER MCNABB: Fake Plastic Whore Face, Tantalise your tastebuds, mish mushkila ya habibi meaning, what is mineralised water and the Nipple souk... Fake Plastic Souks is the expert on them all...…
Al Ahram’s New English Portal ‘gets bookish’
M. LYNX-QUALEY: The Arab world's highest circulating daily newspaper goes live with a beta version of its new English portal. There's a strong focus on 'the intellectual arena'. …
Relationships and the Reality of Social Networks
STEVE ROYSTON: In the real world, we have lots of alternative words to describe different levels of relationship – family, colleague, acquaintance to name but a few. On Facebook, everyone is a friend.…
On Your Bike – an Untrue Ad Executed Badly
ALEXANDER MCNABB: My delight is enhanced that the latest piece witless buffoonery originates from HSBC, the bank that likes to say 'Is there anything else I can do to help you?' at the end of calls where they have been signally useless. …
Publish it Not – Israel and the Sultans of Spin
JONATHAN COOK: Most freelancers forced into this position would either have learned to tailor their reporting to what was expected by the news desks or have headed off to another conflict zone. I stayed...…
Privacy and the Law
ALEXANDER MCNABB: One month in jail and deportation for filming an actual incident and posting it online may appear madly draconian, but the UAE (and the Gulf in general, actually) has always had a fraught relationship with photography...…
Censorship over KSA Unemployment
I have written on unemployment before. The situation is desperate. It’s bad for men and much worse for women... According to Mr. Al Dosari 12000 Saudis apply when only 45 positions are announced...…
UAE Media Shame and ‘The Tent Next Door’
Gulf News deserves to be held to a higher standard than Gulf Today, though. And in this, it has failed. Its silence is nothing less than shameful - and its shame is clearly exposed by The National.…
‘If it bleeds, it leads’. Agendas, bias, ‘poppycutting’
The UAE finds itself in the international spotlight again - and for all of the wrong reasons. So why do the Western media 'accentuate the negative' and forget the positive when reporting events in the Arab world? …
