***Notice***

We have removed the Canvas post and won't be publishing any futher comments on that issue at the moment.

The Aussie exodus

As more and more Dubai media people seem to be fleeing Down Under, we've actually had a request by a newly-Sydney-based PR type for prospective job candidates. You don't need to be Australian - their company has been recruiting from the UK.

So if you're fed up of sand and camels and ITP then drop us an email to the usual place (dubaimediablog gmail) and we can pass the details on. No word if the package includes a six cylinder kangaroo, but you never know.

The Brotocols of the Elders of the National

Someone commented this on an earlier thread - here - and it seemed interesting enough for a new topic:

The National also has some kind of pro-Israel agenda. Anyone who has an eye for such editorial policies will notice it.

Starting with labeling "Jerusalem, Israel" on a map (which even Fox News wouldn't do) to calling the boundry between the Israeli occupied Golan and Syria proper the "Israeli-Syrian border".

Aside from that, referring to Jewish colonists in the Golan as "Jewish residents of the Golan" is a really good job at explaining the reality of the occupation to the reader.

The National's pro-Israel editorial policy is being watched closely. Not just by me and others but also by people high up in the government.

Nice to know that the government of Abu Dhabi has come out with an official paper that has Zionist leanings. That' what happens when you bring in an EIC (Newland) that is openly sympathetic to Israel. Read his op-ed in Canada's Macleans magazine. Looks like Abu Dhabi is a asleep.

Thoughts?

Edit: A reader has added this comment, which is also worth discussing.

There seems to be a perception that The National is really hitting Dubai while giving Abu Dhabi more positive coverage. I work at the paper and I have been hearing this from journos and from business /government officials in Dubai. A few days ago I was politely told to piss off because of the paper's position on Dubai.

Other than the paper's obvious pro-Israel stance, is there also an anti-Dubai bias?

New men's magazine

Our sources tell us that the first magazine from ENG Media will be a weekly men's magazine called QI and will be launched in about 2 weeks. Former Charged editor Alex Ritman will be heading it up. Regional men's magazine are of a notoriously low standard here (witness Arabian Man or Al Nisr's awful 4Men) so does this mag stand a chance? We are not too optimistic.

Moving in - and moving up?

Yup, because new premises are gonna fix the problem ... The UAE Journalists Association has got a new home.

This bit is genius:

He said the upcoming premises will be a top-notch centre, equipped with sophisticated tools. "The headquarters will be a meeting place amidst a social and professional environment. It will contain all the required facilities such as auditorium, library, computer centre, journalism training centre, sports and social facilities plus a cafeteria," he said.

By sophisticated tools, I was rather hoping the centre would be equipped with - oh I don't know - actual journalists? However, it's more likely to have bugged phones and blocked internet.

TV ads

By request from an anon commenter:

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TV advertising. first there was the Lacnor ad in which the young girl cuddles the juice carton like it was mammy and now there's one in which a mother struggling to comfort her baby finds the only way to do it is to put her KFC grease covered finger into the tot's mouth.

who approves this crap and is anyone else bothered by it?
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Turning the TV back on

We've been a bit overkill on the National, so back to TV. Scroll down this article: Bridging The Gulf.

The attempt to fuse Western talent and values with Arab control have not always been smooth in the media business. Al-Jazeera, the original beacon of a popular, autonomous media, owned by the Emir of Qatar, has faced serious challenges in the period since it launched its English-language rolling news channel. Its first year was dogged by clashes over terms and conditions. Jo Burgin, a former senior executive, is seeking £1 million in compensation, claiming that she was dismissed because she is a “white, Christian woman”.

Yesterday al-Jazeera English brought in Tony Burman as managing director, who had previously run CBC News in Canada, in an attempt to heal some of the rifts created under the previous regime. Nigel Parsons, the former managing director, was pushed upstairs to a role running “business acquisition and development”. For all the problems, al-Jazeera's output remains of high quality and there are no allegations of overt interference.

Nevertheless, with Gulf states pouring cash into media, outsiders believe that they have something to contribute. That thinking underlies the decision by the BBC World Service to launch an Arabic channel, because the BBC believes that it is able to offer an independent voice. But, whereas it might have had to battle before with censorship, now it has to battle with vibrant rivals for audience - a sign that a market for media is developing.

Have we got any Al Jazeerans reading who can give their perspective on the "rifts"? Enough ex-Dubai media are now working there. And anyone been hired from BBC Arabic? There used to be some ex-BBC Arabic staff working at MBC, are they planning to return?