DUBAI-- Gulf News, a newspaper part-owned by a senior government minister in the United Arab Emirates, has told its journalists to avoid using the words "bailout" and "default" when writing about Dubai's debt crisis, according to an internal memo sent to staff and seen by Zawya Dow Jones.
Reporters for the paper, the largest English-language daily in the U.A.E., were also urged to steer clear of the phrase "debt crisis" and asked to "ensure the following politically correct terminology is used" -- words such as "financial consolidation" and "fiscal support" -- when describing the sheikdom's economic problems and the assistance it has received from Abu Dhabi, according to the note sent Dec. 14.
"This is a style guide," said Francis Matthew, the Dubai-based paper's editor-at-large when asked by Zawya Dow Jones about the memo. "We're trying to restrict people from using financially incorrect terms."
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14 comments:
The instruction to tone it down at the UAE papers can only be matched by the directive to beat it up in the UK media. The sheer delight shown by so many at the mere thought of Dubai in trouble was embarassing. meanwhile their own mismanagement of their finacial system keeps them in recession while the rest of the world recovers.
and that's why francis matthew has been the editor for 10+ years, towing the party line and toning down criticism - very pragmatic
Anonymous 11:30, your attempt to downplay the beam in your own eye by trying to point to the motes in the eyes of others suggests you have a great future ahead of you in financial PR. The state of the British economy is irrelevant to the fact that Dubai has fucked up bigtime, and is now trying to pretend that by calling shit granola we'll all find it palateable.
Anonymous @ 5.06
It's not irrelevant that the UK media practically fell over itself trying to convince the world Dubai was about to die and disappear forever. Well, here we are.
The much maligned UK media has done a fairly good job of highlighting the woeful health of the British economy as much as it has writing about Dubai's financial problems. The establishment in the UAE should understand there is no agenda to attack Dubai, just journalists working for respected publications reporting the news and the facts of the situation as they see it. The sheikhs should accept scrutiny and learn from it. What are they afraid of anyway? Freedom of speech!
The Press Ides of December in UK find it so scary at home that they look outside for scarier stories to crank up their ratings. Yawn..
I wish we had that kind of time in Dubai. to find flaws elsewhere in far flung lands. Eeny meeny.....
and 11.30 - is the rest of the world really recovering??? Ha..
right now I know that it is still difficult to find parking when I go for an appointment..
Classic Gulf News piece here:
http://gulfnews.com/business/economy/readers-express-pride-at-news-of-support-funds-for-dubai-1.553639
I guess the editor forgot to remove the instructions from the government from under the headline!
And as oil approaches 80 dollars a barrel that money Abu Dhabi sent over is pocket change. As long as you all keep drinking it we should get back to business as usual in no time.
I wish we had that kind of time in Dubai. to find flaws elsewhere in far flung lands.
You evidently haven't read Gulf News lately then sunshine, where everything is eternally the fault of Israel and the West, and apparently a ban on minarets in Switzerland is the beginning of a 'second' Holocaust (inverted commas since it's still not entirely sure whether or not GN believes there was one in the first place).
I will say this - at least the UK media bothers to report 'scary' stories.
Doug @ 22.07
Your post is complete bullshit.
You have an interesting blog.. note that comments are:
1- anonymous
2- comment moderation is on
but about the memo.. well.. all i can say is "typical", unless there is a stupid GN memo telling me not to use that word.
Francis Matthew has got his head shoved so far up the government's a**hole I'm surprised he can see, let alone write, any instructions to his staff.
Someone in GN was fired over sending this "confidential" email to Wall Street Journal....GN had no proof and rather than issue a warning fired him straight away without even informing his boss to keep management happy...apparently he had no idea what he had done....complete scapegoating.
Gulf News is owned by one of the UAE's ministers right? Can't remember which one, but either the finance or transport minister? A member of the huge Al Tayer family.
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