Reading The National, Abu Dhabi's new newspaper
Posted on 22 April 2008 with no comments from readers
This is a really professional, slick newspaper run to world-class standards of design and journalism. Congratulation to the editor and his team, you have raised the bar for the whole UAE press.
This broadsheet is like The Guardian in design and content partly follows the populist modern Telegraph with an almost tabloid style. It is easy to read and find your way around the pages. The challenge is clearly thrown down to Gulf News, although the business section must also be taking a tilt at Emirates Business 24/7.
Abu Dhabi bias?
Does it succeed? I suppose it does. The problem is that The National is inevitably slanted towards news from Abu Dhabi, and the capital is a far less lively and interesting place than neighboring Dubai. The National is therefore inevitably going to be more boring than Gulf News.
You have to wonder what the hacks will find to write about between mid-May and the end of Ramadan in September. The hot months are part of the life of an expatriate journalist with just one month of annual leave, but the exodus from Abu Dhabi by the powers that be for London and Geneva does tend to leave the capital a little quiet.
Perhaps that will now change with a new press corps in town. There is certainly a great deal that has gone under-reported or un-reported in Abu Dhabi. And the construction and real estate boom has not gone anything like the attention it would receive in Dubai.
Any fears that The National would be censored to distraction appear to have been greatly exaggerated. No newspaper can exist without a measure of self-censorship, if only to keep libel lawyers at bay, and The National appears to be following editorial guidelines that would not be out of place in most advanced economies.
Editorial independence
On the other hand, one hundred per cent government ownership must have its downside to editorial independence. It also casts a long shadow over the independently owned media in the emirates, paying salaries that they can not afford and crowding out an already crowded market.
The launching of new newspapers is frequently associated with the top of an economic boom, and it is tempting to lay this charge at the door of The National. But it does look more like another sign that Abu Dhabi is an emerging market that has emerged, and joined the ranks of the developed world.
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There is always more room for quaity newspapers in the region but what seems to happen is they start with fireworks and bands playing and then head for (or are consigned to) the nearest lowest common denominator. I too wish the Nation success as there is a need for some benchmarks, and if the journalism profession were to follow the lead of the finance profession the journalists tempted in may well then move on to other competing publications. But that would mean that media salaries would have to increase and there is the rub. The other pet peeve of mine is the fact that arab journalism does not seem to be seen as a career in this part of the world. Granted there are Arab journalists but I am not sure I have ever come across one who is of Gulf origin. Why is that and what can be done about it?
Yes, Abu Dhabi seems to be booming – with newspapers, at least.
Financial Times to launch Middle East edition
by Talal Malik on Sunday, 27 April 2008
http://www.arabianbusiness.com/517620-financial-times-to-launch-middle-eastern-edition
SNIPS
The UK’s Financial Times (FT) is to launch a full Middle Eastern edition of its famous newspaper in Abu Dhabi to be published every Tuesday and Thursday, ArabianBusiness.com can exclusively reveal.
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The inaugural edition of the newspaper will be launched on Tuesday April 29 [...].
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The Financial Times’ decision to have a Middle East edition comes only weeks after the government of Abu Dhabi launched a major English-language daily newspaper, The National, [...].
There is plenty of room for multiple publishers,
says The National.
Financial Times starts Middle East edition
Sun Apr 27, 2008 5:35pm EDT
http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssConsumerGoodsAndRetailNews/idUSN2741758920080427
SNIP
“The economic dynamism of the region is striking,” Financial Times Chief Executive John Ridding said in an interview with Reuters on Saturday. “It’s not just the rate of growth, it’s the nature of growth.
“Unlike the previous sort of oil booms, I think what we’re seeing this time is a substantial investment in the foundations of sustainable economic development, infrastructure and education,” Ridding said.
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http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssConsumerGoodsAndRetailNews/idUSN2741758920080427?pageNumber=2&virtualBrandChannel=0
SNIP
The debut of the FT comes shortly after the Abu Dhabi Media Co-backed newspaper The National, was launched in the United Arab Emirates. In a recent interview with Reuters, that paper’s editor, Martin Newland, said there is plenty of room for multiple publishers.
An interesting debate, the launch of the new National is a chance for journalism to step up its game in the region. There is a great deal that goes unreported which is a shame because the global interest in the UAE has never been higher. The response to this Blog has been much stronger than I expected with readers coming from the for corners of the earth. Many thanks for taking the trouble!
The National has been a welcome read so far. It’s refreshing to find a newspaper that’s easy to read, without a lot of jibberish that some of the other newspapers seem to cover. It’s also been a big surprise, shocking actually that they’ve covered topics such as shady rental agents, compensation for child jockeys, housing crisis and outrageous rents here in Abu Dhabi,etc.etc. Hopefully it lasts. Abu Dhabi has a long way to go, in MANY aspects.