I really don't think there is any difference, fubar. There are offical, clear lines here - but that is not where it stops. Officially, the press may not publish anything that endangers Qatar's national security, harms its relations with friendly countries, insults religion or insults the the ruling family. I don't know what the rules are in Dubai, I doubt if they are much different.
Do they print stories in Dubai about incompent performance by government officials (and I'm not talking about counter-clerks who are on the phone instead of serving you), dangerous water supplies or safety issues with Emirates aircraft? I don't follow the Dubai press, but when I have seen it I have never been struck by the thought "that could never have been published in Doha". I have sometimes been struck by the thought "Oh, they say that about Qatar, but they'd never dare say it about Dubai".
Have the Dubai press asked why there hasn't been an aviation accident in Qatar for almost 30 years, during which time there have been 16 in the UAE, including 10 in the last decade (the entire UK, by comparison, has had 30 in the last 10 years)? That UAE tally is actually quite worrying, even though most are non-fatal, considering how few flights the UAE has compared with Gatwick, Heathrow, Stanstead et al.
Just being told that certain things are definitely swept under the carpet doesn't mean that other things aren't.
I really don't think there is any difference, fubar. There are offical, clear lines here - but that is not where it stops. Officially, the press may not publish anything that endangers Qatar's national security, harms its relations with friendly countries, insults religion or insults the the ruling family. I don't know what the rules are in Dubai, I doubt if they are much different.
Do they print stories in Dubai about incompent performance by government officials (and I'm not talking about counter-clerks who are on the phone instead of serving you), dangerous water supplies or safety issues with Emirates aircraft? I don't follow the Dubai press, but when I have seen it I have never been struck by the thought "that could never have been published in Doha". I have sometimes been struck by the thought "Oh, they say that about Qatar, but they'd never dare say it about Dubai".
Have the Dubai press asked why there hasn't been an aviation accident in Qatar for almost 30 years, during which time there have been 16 in the UAE, including 10 in the last decade (the entire UK, by comparison, has had 30 in the last 10 years)? That UAE tally is actually quite worrying, even though most are non-fatal, considering how few flights the UAE has compared with Gatwick, Heathrow, Stanstead et al.
Just being told that certain things are definitely swept under the carpet doesn't mean that other things aren't.