Oryx and Novi, thanks for your confidence in me. I think i saw this story a little too late... anyways, here goes, about what i feel...
1. The language used in the paper definitely needs to improve. It is not the bane of just one newspaper. It has permeated everywhere. I dont know what are the standards maintained for hiring a reporter, but whatever it is, i believe a closer scrutiny about the reporter's skills are required. The image a passing visitor gets about the country when he reads the local paper is not gonna be rosy, with mistakes and all. Something needs to be done, and something needs to be done fast.
2. Bollywood, India... I am an Indian and i too dont agree with the 'India overkill' the papers do in Doha. But unfortunately, us Indians are the vast majority here, and predominantly Keralites too. The papers here are following the simple rule of demand and supply. Indians are their biggest customers and it is only common sense that they cater to them more. I aint saying that what they are doing is right, but i see the same scenario in quite the foreseeable future.
3. Like it or not, censoring is firmly a part of the region. IMHO, the situation in Doha is much better than in other parts of the region. Elsewhere, many things go unreported, whereas here, it comes out, eventually. It is a situation that cannot be changed overnight. They are gradually opening up and Press freedom is gradually being doled out. One has to be patient and that's the key to changes.
4. A great Press culture cannot be built overnight. One has to wait for it to evlove. As an insider, i feel that things are taking a turn for the better, however slow it may be. Things are bad, but not as bad as people think it is.
5. The newspapers in the country does not have a huge circulation. The biggest newspaper in the country may not have a circulation of more than 30,000 copies. Hence, their only mode of survival is to get the advertisements in and the biggest supplier of ads are the expat community, once again, predominantly Indians. That is another reason for more India-centric stories. This is just in addition to my point 2.
I aint defending the Fourth Estate of Doha, i am just trying to explain why it is working the way it is. Finally, i would want people to let the papers know exactly whart they feel through letters to the editor and forums as these. There is nothing that public opinion cannot change, and
that, is our biggest strength.
Oryx and Novi, thanks for your confidence in me. I think i saw this story a little too late... anyways, here goes, about what i feel...
1. The language used in the paper definitely needs to improve. It is not the bane of just one newspaper. It has permeated everywhere. I dont know what are the standards maintained for hiring a reporter, but whatever it is, i believe a closer scrutiny about the reporter's skills are required. The image a passing visitor gets about the country when he reads the local paper is not gonna be rosy, with mistakes and all. Something needs to be done, and something needs to be done fast.
2. Bollywood, India... I am an Indian and i too dont agree with the 'India overkill' the papers do in Doha. But unfortunately, us Indians are the vast majority here, and predominantly Keralites too. The papers here are following the simple rule of demand and supply. Indians are their biggest customers and it is only common sense that they cater to them more. I aint saying that what they are doing is right, but i see the same scenario in quite the foreseeable future.
3. Like it or not, censoring is firmly a part of the region. IMHO, the situation in Doha is much better than in other parts of the region. Elsewhere, many things go unreported, whereas here, it comes out, eventually. It is a situation that cannot be changed overnight. They are gradually opening up and Press freedom is gradually being doled out. One has to be patient and that's the key to changes.
4. A great Press culture cannot be built overnight. One has to wait for it to evlove. As an insider, i feel that things are taking a turn for the better, however slow it may be. Things are bad, but not as bad as people think it is.
5. The newspapers in the country does not have a huge circulation. The biggest newspaper in the country may not have a circulation of more than 30,000 copies. Hence, their only mode of survival is to get the advertisements in and the biggest supplier of ads are the expat community, once again, predominantly Indians. That is another reason for more India-centric stories. This is just in addition to my point 2.
I aint defending the Fourth Estate of Doha, i am just trying to explain why it is working the way it is. Finally, i would want people to let the papers know exactly whart they feel through letters to the editor and forums as these. There is nothing that public opinion cannot change, and
that, is our biggest strength.
Adios!