If the media report issues then the people of the country will read them. And if the people of the country feel strong enough about these issues they'll cause enough of a stir to prompt the government into considering making change. This is true anywhere in the world.
What differs around the world is how likely the government is to make changes at the request of it's countrymen. But even in Qatar, if enough Qataris were p!ssed about something I think the government would be forced to take notice and address certain issues.
And that brings us back to one of the reasons why Qatar doesn't want a free media; because it will arm people with the knowledge that not everything in Qatar is perfect, and that could lead to the effectiveness of the government and ruling family being questioned and potentially challenged.
But to say that the media have no influence over what happens in any country is wrong.
If the media report issues then the people of the country will read them. And if the people of the country feel strong enough about these issues they'll cause enough of a stir to prompt the government into considering making change. This is true anywhere in the world.
What differs around the world is how likely the government is to make changes at the request of it's countrymen. But even in Qatar, if enough Qataris were p!ssed about something I think the government would be forced to take notice and address certain issues.
And that brings us back to one of the reasons why Qatar doesn't want a free media; because it will arm people with the knowledge that not everything in Qatar is perfect, and that could lead to the effectiveness of the government and ruling family being questioned and potentially challenged.
But to say that the media have no influence over what happens in any country is wrong.