Earthquake news reporting in Qatar is crap
I was just surfing on the Peninsula's and the Gulf Times' webpages and was aghast to see that the former didn't even list the earthquake in Haiti among its top stories for the day ("fish handling not up to standards, says official" ranked higher than the earthquake), and the latter listed it AFTER the much more important story about the "Heart of Doha project" being launched.
Is it just me or do other people think that journalists here have their heads up their behinds? There's maybe 100,000+ people feared dead from this catastrophe, and they don't think that should be the leading story for the day?
WTF?
Are the Arabic newspapers the same?
I'm speechless at the complete lack of awareness reporters and editors here must possess...
well, what do you expect
ummjake, they will finally be free, just like Iraq?
I was trying to be ironic with that last line about the chapter being closed. Clearly it won't be closed for a long time, because as you have stated, the death toll is already over 150,000 and is still mounting. The rebuilding of Haiti will take many years.
Not that the local journalists seem to care much.
"If you're looking for sympathy, you'll find it between sh*t and syphilis in the dictionary."
- David Sedaris
ummjake, couldnt agree with you more. But you dont even have to go that far...look at QL? 150,000 now confirmed dead and people would rather discuss how deadly their farts are.
ummjake, the chapter isn't closed, the misery begins now in Haiti. Counting the deaths, expected 200 000 - 300 000. Anybody cares?
@ lebaneseman & s_isale,quite clearly,the both of you have never had the fortune of living in a country/city that has,well i'd say good but that would be too much,real would be a better word,real newspapers,NOT the sad excuses for it that you get in this town,but then again,as is clearly obvious with all the defending of local newspapers above,A LOT of residents in this town seem not have had that fortune,my colleague travels regularly between home(India) & here & always travels very light & everytime he goes he asks me if i need anything & all i ask him to do is pick up the day's papers from the airport on his way out so i can read a REAL newspaper for a change...
I was commenting on the newspapers' coverage on the 14th - so clearly they had 24+ hours of notice to report some decent initial news in that time, s_isale.
Again, I don't think it's asking a lot for them to carry OTHER PEOPLE'S news stories that they can get from the wire services. It's copy and paste, something they clearly already know how to do.
But I am glad to know that the chapter is closed now.
;-)
"If you're looking for sympathy, you'll find it between sh*t and syphilis in the dictionary."
- David Sedaris
"The death toll from the Haitian earthquake has risen above 150,000 in the capital alone, a government minister says."
(BBC News, Jan 25 2010)
look at the time difference and see whether they reported on the subsequent day. so it will really take 24 hours for the newspapers in rest of the world to do a report on Haiti. Its not special to GT. AlsoGT has already reported about it prior to you posting this topic.
Anyway the chapter is closed.
well, the newspaper report here might just be a little late compare to other country's newspaper...
*************************************
Life is full of choices. And everytime you choose, there will always regret. Whenever you make a choice, choose the one which will result to least regret.
Are you seriously equating covering the Haiti earthquake (which will probably result in over 200,000 dead --- nearly equal to the entire population of native Qataris in this country) with what President Obama ate for lunch?
Amazing...
I guess you think the newspapers here are doing a bang-up job of reporting on things...which speaks volumes about your own standards.
Good to know.
And s_isale: I wasn't asking them to send a local news reporter to Port-au-Prince. Simply carrying what news stories AP or Reuters wrote and perhaps some photographs from Getty images isn't too much to ask, though. THAT is what local papers do.
My high school newspaper probably had better coverage than the local English dailies here...and that's just sad.
"If you're looking for sympathy, you'll find it between sh*t and syphilis in the dictionary."
- David Sedaris
yes s_islae you are right,
ummjake wants the "local" newpaper to tell her what is Mr.Obama having for Lunch today
isnt that what any local newspaper in any part of the world does?
ummjake, the Newspapers are always delayed. Try to read news on the net or TV.
Bleu yes they are interested too much becuase they looooove to help poor people :)
"If you're looking for sympathy, you'll find it between sh*t and syphilis in the dictionary."
- David Sedaris
@ ummjake,it's just my opinion but taking the word "earthquake" out of the title of your post makes a lot more sense eh?...*wink*!!...apart from local news MOST if not all of the articles are copy/paste from International sources & the language!!,my 10 year old nephew could write better than the clowns posing as journos in this town...
It seems that the US media is VERY interested in Haiti...
Qatar newspaper 'journalists' are not paid nor assigned to do a report on the incident as what media around the world will have an editor-in-chief ask to stop the presses to reassign a bigger last-minute headline other than the original latest one.
Well, of course, if 'they' knew what the 'Stop The Presses' job inside the newspaper headquarters is like.
"Everything in this book may be wrong." Illusions: The Adventures of The Reluctant Messiah by Richard Bach
Sh*t is a bad word, and that is why I said the word crap instead.
Besides, "not up to standard" wouldn't fit in my title because it was too long.
And I did not go and buy those USA and British newspapers because they usually are 1-2 days late. This whole post was about the LOCAL newspapers here not being up to snuff, Straight Arrow. As I said, I find what information I need just fine, thanks. My complaint was that the local papers here aren't doing their jobs because they failed to provide adequate coverage of an international event in which over 200,000 people are now feared dead.
Telling me I can find out information in another way doesn't address the underling issue of the local papers not doing their job properly.
"If you're looking for sympathy, you'll find it between sh*t and syphilis in the dictionary."
- David Sedaris
has the USA news papers and British news paper why you did not go and buy them.
If you are keen to study nothing will stop you same thing with following news.
You said crap and crap is a bad word better would be if you said not up to standard.
Did you see that video of Anderson Cooper from CNN grabbing that child who was hurt and bleeding? Wow.
edition, Stealth, as my initial comment indicated.
If they've picked up the ball they so obviously dropped in the first 24-48 hours after the fact, then I'm happy to hear that.
And certified BisDak: yes, I have a lot of options. I have interent access both at home and at the office, as well as cable TV. I'm educated and know how to seek out and find information when I need it. But not everyone else in this country is in that same boat. I don't think it's too much to ask that the people who are journalists and editors and owners of print news sources here in Qatar do their jobs and provide adequate coverage of such newsworthy events so that everyone in this country can stay abreast of important situations.
"If you're looking for sympathy, you'll find it between sh*t and syphilis in the dictionary."
- David Sedaris
even todays gulf times has got a report about HAiti in its front page? I think you are really blind.
easy...dont read gulf times as you have a lot of options.....
The English language newspapers here don't target the Qataris as an audience. They target the expat population and as such they have a much more international scope of news (or at least they should). They have pages on India, Europe, UK, USA/Americas, etc... (I don't read Al Watan and the other Arabic newspapers but my guess is that they don't do that, at least not as much).
When something like what just happened in Haiti occurs, I expect them to cover it with more than a small paragraph in bottom corner of the front page, and more than just the first day after the fact. This was a disaster that will eventually claim the lives of tens of thousands of people. It is more newsworthy than "fish handling". THAT is my point.
"If you're looking for sympathy, you'll find it between sh*t and syphilis in the dictionary."
- David Sedaris
AMERICAN AIRLINES is taking doctors and nurses to Haiti for free. Please call 212-697-9767 212-697-9767 . UPS is shipping packages under 50lbs to Haiti for free. If you have anything you want to donate, UPS is the place to take it.~~Please repost
Put it on your facebook guys, it shall spread like chinese whisper..
Qatariyah...
Well ummjake... please go back and check with your country's local papers and news channel broadcasting system....Would they announce what happens to any place on this EARTH everytime something happens? No they don't, I lived in the U.S. for a while and all they have on their papers and t.v's are local American news...
Check Friday's Newspaper...still nothing?
it was there on the first day.
What more do you want them to do?
It's the same in many places. Local papers cover local news... it's as if the rest of the world is beyond its scope...
**** Aal Izz Well****
100,000 people got killed hassan, Human life is not insignificant.
**** Aal Izz Well****
Why would the press here cover it? After all it was only some insignificant country like Haiti that got hit...... nobody here really cares do they? Witness the absolute lack of calls for donations and such...
Now, had there been a similar quake in India on the other hand......
(Before anyone jumps on my back, I'd just like to say that this post isn't meant to be derogatory towards India in any way)
I specifically refer to the English language newspapers here, oryx and enigma.
I've been online for the last 36 hours getting my news there (my usual source), and once home I switch on the TV and check Sky News, BBC, CNN, and Al Jazeera for further updates.
But the complete lack of adequate coverage in Qatar's English language newspapers is just painfully embarrassing.
"If you're looking for sympathy, you'll find it between sh*t and syphilis in the dictionary."
- David Sedaris
Next time, yo read Qatar News Agency.
They updated hourly
http://www.qnaol.net/QNAEn/Pages/default.aspx
---Make Qataliving.com Equal for All...
please rephrase that as Qatar includes Al Jazeera which is doing a grand job
the local newspapers just print press releases.....shame they didn't get the one about Qatar giving aid to Haiti ;)