I'll begin with the disclosure that I am writing under a pseudonym. Michael O'Riordan is not my real name. Also, I can't mention for whom I work except to say that my employer is one of the two national newspapers in the Emirates.
Why? The UAE is a police state where, up until a few years ago, journalists were jailed for offering criticism of the status quo. Now we don't face jail, but we do face being sacked and frog-marched out of the country. A colleague of mine had his visa yanked over the summer for getting a little too edgy with his blog.
Due to the incredible PR job this country does it may come as a surprise that Dubai is part of a police state. The Emirates have managed something of a coup in the way this country is portrayed as an open, tolerant and progressive country in the middle of a region full of turmoil, war and repression. Do not be fooled.
On the surface this place appears to be a modern oasis in a backwards area of the world. And, to a great extent it is. It is a police state none-the-less. I've never felt my life, career or freedom was in jeopardy except when I am working. The are incredible internal pressures at my publication not to offend our hosts in this country by writing anything damning, true though it may be.
There are a number of taboo topics, including: exploitation of labourers, trafficking of sex workers, basic human rights violations, homosexuality and the treatment of women. We don't actually have censors in our offices, but it is know and accepted that we are all within a hair's breath of being fired and removed from the country for anything too negative. We all do a very fine job of self-censorship.
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By way of introduction
2 Comments
| December 10, 2008 8:30 PM
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Good questions, all.
It would be disingenuous to state that we operate as defacto PR agencies. It is more subtle and nuanced than that.
It boils down to this: we get paid a lot of money to do very little work. I, like most people, have a tremendous amount of debt I would like to get off my back. So, I choose not to risk my job and I toe the line that has been drawn.
By choosing not to go after the important stories—human trafficking, labour rights, etc—I keep my job and get paid well to avoid upsetting local sensibilities. It is immature to say that I do this because I have to. I choose to live and work here. I choose to cash those paychecks and pay down my debt. The other side of that coin is that I am, on some level, selling my own integrity to the highest bidder.
I'll write more about this as my blog rolls on, but for now, I have to say I'm as guilty as anyone of profiting off the backs of the afflicted. It pains me to say so, but is true.
How do I reconcile that with my own morals? I strongly believe that I can make incremental steps toward righting wrongs and correcting injustices. I am what you call a true believer.
Speaking of the region it is hard to give a concise answer. Each country is different in this region and each media outlet is different in how they treat different stories. al Jazeera is going to be doing a lot of pro Israel stories any more than NBC will be doing a lot of anti General Electric stories. Alas, it is the way of the world.
What I can hope for, what I do hope for is erudite discourse such as this forum provides. A place to have an honest discussion.
"To afflict the powerful and to empower the afflicted"
~MOR
What do you think?
Michael O' Riordan in the United Arab Emirates:
Michael O' Riordan is a journalist based in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. Michael blogs anonymously for reasons...
Welcome to the blog Michael... Is it fair to say all media outlets in the UAE work like PR agencies? Doesn't that kinda make the whole Abu Dhabi media centre nothing more than a big PR agency? And how about neighbouring cvountries. Do any of those come in for a particularly hard time? Looking forward to reading more.