Oooops

Let the braying cease! Yes, we've been slack in updating.

We've been too busy checking Facebook every 90 seconds to see if it's been blocked by Etisalat to do any posting/moderating/work. We sent out the work experience juniors to find snippets for DMO but they only came back with tales of exploitation and dissent among the masses - old news.

Situation normal to be resumed as soon as possible.

Dubai journos jailed

Happy Ramadan for two Dubai journalists.
http://archive.gulfnews.com/articles/07/09/24/10155815.html

Two journalists sentenced to jail for libel
By Bassam Za'za', Staff Reporter
Published: September 24, 2007, 00:25
Dubai: Two senior journalists have been jailed for two months each after they were found guilty in a libel case marking what judicial officials described as 'an unusual verdict'.

The Dubai Court of Misdemeanour found the senior Egyptian journalist and senior Indian editor guilty of libelling an Iranian woman.

The Public Prosecution charged the two defendants with publishing a defamatory article in the English newspaper where they work. In her complaint the woman accused the defendants of defaming her after publishing the story.

The article said the woman collected a dowry cheque of Dh83,000 which bounced when she went to cash it. She thereafter filed a police complaint against her divorcee. The court found the defendants guilty though they pleaded innocent.

Gulf News has learnt that defence lawyer Samir Jaafar is planning to appeal the initial verdict today. The ruling is still subject to appeal.

A former judge who requested anonymity described the ruling as 'uncommon and unusual especially in the UAE'.

Are you working Ramadan hours?

Is your media company flouting the Ramadan hours laws?

DUBAI -- The working hours during the holy month of Ramadan will be shorter by two hours for all private sector employees regardless of their religion or nationality, a senior official of the Ministry of Labour (MoL) has said.

Any company found violating this directive will be penalised as per the Labour Law, said Humeid bin Demas, assistant under-secretary of the MoL. A Dh10,000 penalty would be slapped on the violating companies, besides a three-month ban.

Let us know below, and name and shame the media companies failing to respect Islamic law and tradition.

The Neverending Job Ad

This has to be seen to be believed (click for the full size version):



Anyone planning to apply?

For all the jaded journos

Due to popular demand, here's a thread on the new Abu Dhabi newspaper:

Newland seeks 'jaded' journos for Arab paper launch

24 August 2007
By Patrick Smith

Former Daily Telegraph editor Martin Newland is set to launch a new national newspaper in the United Arab Emirates, creating jobs for 200 journalists from around the world.

"This area is absolutely exploding with potential – in many ways running too fast with infrastructure having to catch up. The paper is aimed at anyone at the high end, so you're looking at broadsheet quality, people earning over £100,000 who speak English. In this place, that's the Indian middle classes, the Anglosphere ex-pats and Emiratis, who speak it fluently."

The paper currently has no title or a launch date more concrete than "months, not years away", but Newland stressed its future is "assured" by significant investment from the investment wing of the Abu Dhabi government.

So what's the reckoning? A proper paper or an "Abu Dhabi Today" government promotional rag? And is Newland coming over all guns blazing a la Frank Kane or does he have some clue that this is a region where a newspaper nearly gets shut down because it takes a story from AFP rather than WAM or reprints a relatively innocuous article from the Telegraph?

The Devil Wears Primark

It seems that working for media in Dubai can generate instant class status. An anonymous tip claims that the editor of an ITP magazine has requested that all photographers call her Ma'am. Guess which one?

InTV OutTV

A reader is curious about the comings and goings at City7:

"It would appear that [a guy who was fired from radio then fired from City 7] is not the only recent loss of what was Dubai's only attempt at an independent local television station.

"Following his termination with immediate effect, it now appears a number of higher-ups have "jumped the proverbial ship" before it really and truly goes under. Anyone have the inside scoops?"

Any TV tarts out there willing to spill?