Changes at Peninsula
I heard on the grapevine that there's a new Editor at the Peninsula, and there are likely to be a bunch of changes made to the paper. That got me thinking - what changes would you make if you were running an English-language newspaper in Qatar?
For my part, I would first tackle the website. Not one of the local papers has a website worth visiting and its a joke. The website would concentrate on local news, classified ads, and events listings: the stuff that a newspaper is meant to do well.
I'd hire a professional to redesign the paper. The papers are all rubbish, and look like they've been designed by the editor's best-friend's son-in-law. The Tribune looked good when it launched, but then they put a six-year-old kid in charge of the layout.
I'm not interested in what any of the editors have to say about Palestine or Pakistan. If I wanted to hear an interesting point of view, I'd ask a Palestinian or a Pakistani, not a local journalist in Doha. Editorials under my benevolent rule would be about Qtel, traffic, and rents.
Well, those are three changes to start. What would you change if you were a newspaper editor?
N, what makes you think that newspaper business in Doha is different from elsewhere in the world? while i agree that owning a newspaper does guarentee a certain amount of prestiege and influence, nobody would be shortsighted as to let that be the only reason for running a newspaper. Any business proposition comes undone if it does not make money in the end. Hence i say once again that advertisements do pay.
{And about the hindi paper, i think you are mistaken again or you consider EVERY Indian here as a 'hindi'. Another popular misconception. India is not only made up of hindi speaking people. And a common language which binds them is english, thanks to the Britishers, that is one thing they did right in my country. So i think that an english paper would cater to their needs MUCH MORE than a hindi paper ever would.}
"I believe the local press is behind the curve. There's a new constitution that guarantees press freedom within the law, and the editors of the local papers should at least try to see how far they can take those new freedoms."
N, know that Qatar is a growing country. It is not very old and like a child that learns to walk, it has to fall down before it learns to walk. The paper you see today is not the one which you saw a few years a go. If someone who was in Qatar ten years a go was to see the papers of today, he would be appalled at the number of changes that has come over. ten years from now, even you would say that the state has changed much. Like you said, Press freedom is something not very old in Qatar. People are just gingerly trying it out and trying it out for size. You just cannot compare journalism in Doha with that of the west or anywhere else and demand that it should be so here overnight. Everything takes its time and i am sure doha will too, in time.
Journalism in Qatar will take its own time to develop, there are no short cuts. As to the editors being spineless just because they dont bring out shocking stories, i will have to reserve my comment on that. My take is that while they are doing nothing sensational, they are slowly, gingerly attempting changes. Have you noticed the pieces they publish about the skyrocketing prices of the commodities? They would not have been bold enough to publish that five years a go.Things are definitely changing for the better.
"but the cost of a classified in the Gulf Times doesn't cover the cost of the paper its printed on. The important people to impress are those supplying full-page ads, supplements, and wrap-arounds. These are generally companies that are in the same holding group as the newspaper, and thus it's the Qatari owners that need to be impressed, not expatriates."
Once again, i disagree with you, Nigel. The classified ads give the newspapers a big chunk of their revenue. True, the massive ads may look massive, but have you spared a thought to the innumerable classified ads that come out every week? the number is more and so is the revenue. if they were not a significant source of revenue, people would not take the pains to sit down and compose the umpteen number of classifieds? I really think that you have not given enough credit to the seemingly harmless classifieds.
To sum up, i would like to say that while we do not have a 'Times' to boast of in the city, they are doing what they can within the existing framework. Each land has its own set of situations to cope up with. They are doing what they can and changes are slowly evolving. Just because you dont see it every other day, please dont be under the impression that there are no changes happening. As a journalist myself, i can assure you my friend, that changes are happening.
self-censorship in action.
Stealth. The double-page spread of ads on pages two and three is a huge mistake, and I don't know who asks for it? For the Gulf Times yesterday, it looked shocking and amateur. For the advertiser, why would you want your advert away from any editorial? Every reader is going to skip those two pages. It's far more effective to place ads next to a story that people will spend time reading.
Decided to delete my post here. Sorry chaps.
Joe the Press Officer.
When Page 1, 2 &3 are sometimes exclusively reserved for ads
where do you think the priorities of these newspapers lie ngourlay?
> Indians are their biggest customers and it is only common sense
> that they cater to them more.
Common sense is wrong. The local English-language newspapers are not businesses like the press in other parts of the world. The papers exist because their owners want to have the influence that is associated with a daily paper that is read by the top-tier of society. If the owners just wanted to sell lots of papers, there would be a Hindi paper in Doha.
> Like it or not, censoring is firmly a part of the region.
I believe the local press is behind the curve. There's a new constitution that guarantees press freedom within the law, and the editors of the local papers should at least try to see how far they can take those new freedoms.
Why aren't there journalists standing in the malls, asking people about important issues? Journalists complain that there is no local news - well they're just not looking for it. How about asking young Arabs what they think about moral issues, and compare their responses with those of the older generation. How about, for once, asking a difficult question at a press conference? Or publish a league table of building sites with the most construction deaths?
The current editors just don't have the balls to do it. They've given up journalism and have become vanity publishers.
> biggest supplier of ads are the expat community, once again,
> predominantly Indians.
Hmm. Your are right, Indians probably supply the vast majority of adverts, but the cost of a classified in the Gulf Times doesn't cover the cost of the paper its printed on. The two-riyal cover price of the papers is also a joke. The important people to impress are those supplying full-page ads, supplements, and wrap-arounds. These are generally companies that are in the same holding group as the newspaper, and thus it's the Qatari owners that need to be impressed, not expats.
--nigel
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!
Knox seems like you dont read the newspaper clearly.
They had mentioned the name of the company as Al Mukhtar Cleaning company.
The beauty pageant one was a bout a Bangladeshi not an Indian.
HOw long has the new editor been in charge at Peninsula. 'cos lately even the previous standards have gone down even more.
Recently there was a news in the Gulf-Times about some beauty pageant in a city in USA among the Indians and some girl who was an ex-resident of Qatar won it. It was not even a true beauty contest.
Why should we care some indian has won some freakin school contest which was all rigged from the beginning and in which 4 people took part out of which 3 were blood relatives.
I am gonna write a letter to Gulf-Times and tell them that I would rather see empty pages than seeing wide spread coverage in every nook and corner of India
They dont write the name of company because they dont want any problem and want to safe there jobs. and yes all news r on india because all indian r working there specially keralites. you notes they put big news about indians in qatar and if there is same news from paistani in qatar they just put 2 lines or picture caption. And they have 3 pages on india but do u thing all indian read newspaper everydaybecause it is Qr2 NOT FREE.
What is the difference between a classical silent movie and a Qatar news paper?
The Red Pope of Qatar Living
Abba, Abba, Padre!
full of news from india, and about the keralites in Qatar and stories of cricket which mostly are also from india
Seriously sometimes I feel as if I know more about india than the indians who are actually living there
And the stories like a recent story was A fire broke out in a camp, three people died, their sponsor was a qatari, its a qatari company, the manager is qatari, the rest are expats.
Why the Bloody hell they dont write the name of the company
YA the New editor is Women and trying to do his best. i am working there few months back. the reporters are writing stories on everyone but they can write about there own paper managment and they r facing many problem there but they cant write in paper. Like i work there more then 8 years and on end of service managment pay me shit not what is my basic salary and they do with every employee. and there basic salary is same what they have on start. because company have to pay more on end.
Is Gulf Times's Price is gonna change too?
This is soo cheap the money of everything is increaseing even a newspaper
Let them put more of European news and Hollywood news over here.
And then see what happens to their circulation.
At the end of the day the newspapers also have to make money.
Who buys QT anyway?
actually i am working for a newspaper here - perhaps thats why I judge it so harshly. Its not so easy - u must realise yourself.
Suprised you're getting on my back rather than agreeing actually!
Well, you obviously feel a lot more strongly than I do about the whole thing.
Are you actually working in a English Newspaper here?
Until you are, don't judge what people have to say so harshly.... Come work for QT for a few days... or better still, let me put you in touch with a very dear friend of mine called Joe Williams... and ask him his opinion about the english papers in Qatar....
Then lets see what you have to say....
I think you guys might be a little naive when you discuss what the press is free to do here. Its not easy to find a newpaper's worth of decent news every day in what is basically a large city, with not a particularly large population. Crime is off limits, and official responses on anything can take a lot of time to come through.
Its very easy to slag people off, but things are certainly getting better, with the increased exposure of human rights violations and related stories. If you scan the particularly mundane issues discussed on a site like this, you will realise that not a lot goes on in Qatar every day.
As for the 'Bollywood' slurs - I think they are slightly misguided. For instance, GT has sections dedicated to a number of different regions. I'm sure a lot of indian readers are not particularly interested in the Ian Blair debaucle, but that still received coverage today.
How about people stop being so destructive - this was a request for suggestions to improve, not to slag off the papers here!
Right - I'm done, you lot can carry on now!
Bollywood or Jim Henson.
When i was recruited, I was told one of the reasons is because they wanted me to try and get the paper accross to the western cultures too... I cannot count the number of times I have tried to explain that running Kerala musician stories in the nation section, isn't going to draw the western arena's attention...
They either just can't hear, or don't want to hear... (in my personal oppinion.... its the latter....)
who is jim henson and kermit the frog
If you can't change your fate, change your attitude.
i dont like shilpa shetty because to me she cant act. but
i fail to see why bollywood shouldnt be written about. if you dont like it, dont read it.! if you want jim henson s routine write to them .i am sure they have numbers in mind,such as how many would be interested in jim henson and how many would read about bollywood.
i dont feel its rude to me when i read about brangelina!
as for grammar yes i agree it has to be improved not only in newspapers but also in schools.
do it right - the first time!
ngouraly, the topics would be in consultation with the editor right?
I suppose market forces also would come into play.
When the vast majority of the population is Indian, it makes sense for them to put more of Indian stories than the rest.
Anyway the standards are pretty poor.
As the saying in goes In the Valley of blinds, the one-eyed man is king.
That goes the same with the English newspapers here.
tilly i mentioned Gulf TImes not Peninsula.
hmm your pro says you are an editor hmm are you the one??? Peninsula Editor???
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It's difficult to criticise poor English and the prevalence of Bollywood stories without coming across as, well, a bit racist.
But here goes ;)
Why would you hire a journalist who can't write in English? Complete sentences. With nouns and verbs corresponding. You, know - the kind of English taught in most schools. It's. Just. Utterly. Baffling.
I've heard a defence of bad grammar from a local journalist. It was: "What does it matter, so long as people understand what you're saying?" Well, it just does OK!? I try not spit food at you when I speak, so you should just try to write nicely in return. [This is where I turn purple and start yelling at people in the street.]
Bollywood. I know I should be open to other cultures. I should recognize that if one-fifth of the world's population loves Shilpa Shetty, her films must have some value. But I don't. Bollywood is irrelevant unless you are Indian, and arguing cultural worth in terms of shear scale is idiotic. Writing about Bollywood in a Doha paper is just rude - it excludes non-Indians who prefer their naive song-and-dance routines delivered by Jim Henson.
I think I need to sit down now... Big, deep breaths...
The new editor of The Peninsula is a woman...
more like a shopping guide in Qatar. a news published on GT gets published on Peninsula the other day and on QT on third day same news circulating. some real facts are on Arabic news paper which were never published on any 3 of them in English. Just to keep a clear image of a Nation. and press dont have that much freedom also. just take their camera will sit at some traffic signal or will take snaps of bird or a car flying above the wall or tree.
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Alexa even that come after the sale has begun and 2-3days are already over.
I would like, when they do decide to pre-announce an event, that they would actually list times and places. Numerous, numerous times I read an entire article and get to the end to find no information such as timings, cost, or location. How hard is that to just add to the end of the story?
the problem is with the Eidtor or only the reporters?
or is it that both the set are worthless.
The new editor(if he is the one he is doing the editorial) of Gulf Tmes has only time to compare Doha with Dubai and to belittle Dubai.
Orix - They are writing in Qatlish:)
OK Pm but they can still learn how to write better than pre-elementary English!
or pigin (as in pigeon pooh) English
stand in line.... we are all waiting to do that....
Need I say more?
Well let me know when I can bring in some turnips and throw them in their face.
I am sorry but the paper is a right old bag o'sugar.
Nothing personal - you are a top chick.
Anyway Xena I want my 2 Rials back and I want damages for my sensibilities being offended...
How can I do this?
Tell me the office is Xena and i will come round with a bag of Turnips and slap the bloody paper in his face.
He is a disgrace.
And I will give him a free English Learners Dictionary.
write a letter to the editor..... telling him you want your QR2 back....
my thougts exactly... and i work for them....
What a waste of talent. Our Greeker should be put in charge!
.. all these rubbish newspapers and these journalists that need thrashing with a super large Oxford English dictionary.
Guess what - I don't care about the bloody bus service at the Indian School
I want to know about Qatar things.
Also I want to know BEFORE things happen not after... you bunch of turnips.
i second you about Greeker :D
I hate the Tribune it is so bad .....
How do I get my QR2 back as a refund?
The writing is so bad with really basic errors like 'a eyebrows' and 'earlier best' instead of 'previous best' and getting 'how much and how many' round the wrong way.
These so called journalists need to buy a dictionary and then go and take English at the British Council for 5 years then write.
It is dreadful.
The only decent articles we get are off syndicate news wires. There are rarely any decent home grown reports.
The QNOC website is another example of dreadful writing. Cote D'Ivoire spelt, 'Cout Di Voir'.
My favourite headline was, 'Al Arabi takes a spanking' LOL
We have great talented journalists here like our very own Greeker!