The National Newspaper Brings British Quality Press to Abu Dhabi

 

 

The United Arab Emirates is a totally different world from places like Europe and America. Situated in the Middle East, this is a region that is held synonymous with oil reserve, prosperity and abundance of wealth. The foreign direct funding in 1970 has led to all around prosperity in its wake and this region holding huge reservoirs of natural gas and oil now boast of a rapidly growing economy with one of the world’s highest per capita income, a distinction that is only matched albeit a bit dubiously, by high per capita energy consumption. Over the past few years Dubai real estate has immensely contributed to UAE’s economy. Today, its not only Dubai real estate but the media, especially the print media, though a flourishing industry in the region, is an all together different ballgame than its western counterparts. The society has its own unwritten rules regarding the way the print media should conduct itself and it becomes quite difficult for someone from outside of their cultural context to pick up the nuances and do’s and don’ts they should adhere to. In fact probably the biggest challenge faced by foreign media groups and their personnel is to unlearn what they have learned in their own cultural context and adopt a UAE-only way of approach. Especially if you happen to be a foreigner, you have to seek all kind of licensing from the Government for starting any publication venture and have to look for their approval to appointments on all key positions like that of an editor. Obstructions and controls that can frustrate and derail anyone lesser than a Brave heart are intentionally built into the system, as media ranks very high on the political sensitiveness index and the authorities are never in mood of loosening the reins lest things may spin out of control.

 

In the said context it is no less than a Superman’s feat that a newspaper like ‘The National’ that has an approach of a British Newspaper, has achieved stupendous success in the region. Though it’s modest-as-Clark Kent, editor-in-chief, Martin Newland will have us believe otherwise but it is a well acknowledged fact that the newspaper has been a roaring success and has achieved all this without rubbing the sensibilities of the local people on the wrong side. This Government-owned title, based in the pristine and beautiful establishments of Abu Dhabi, has completely changed how media is perceived in the region. The media landscape has undergone a mammoth change ever since the introduction of The National that has challenged all the existing taboos that previously defined the strictly controlled newspaper climate of the area. Now, people are talking about editorial excellence and journalists’ ethics, a hitherto unknown concept in the media world of UAE. This in itself makes the rise of The National a study for all the newspapers that want to make a mark in this lucrative but tough to enter market.

Probably, the most important thing that swayed circumstances in the favor of this newspaper was the intent of the Government. The Government displayed its seriousness and belief in the concept as proposed by this newspaper and subsequently made things happen for it albeit within the ambit of their media laws.

 

Then again, The National never lost its focus and orientation towards Emirates. Though it had the design and aura of a British newspaper, with its design and delivery much similar to its western counterparts, it has never compromised on its’ “Made in UAE” tag. The stories always had an Emirates focus which was the consequence of using local reports for writing the news report and not directly using the wire agencies or syndicated copies as is the norm with the newspapers in other parts of the world. Hence it was always an Emirates citizen telling the story to his countrymen and not some foreigner impassively reporting on the happenings. That helped them retain the local favor and incorporate the subtle nuances within a British framework.

 

The strength and advantage of hiring local but talented Emirates writer was again reflected in the success of their op-ed pages. Liberated with their dependence on syndicated news they became a forum of discussion on domestic issues that were of direct relevance to the people of Emirates. The western perspective of Emirates in the print media that was dominated by issues like human rights violation of domestic help and trafficking was thus successfully replaced by how an Emirati views his country and his people. This gave the paper a differentiating edge as compared to other publications and helps in creating an image of the country internationally which is congruent to the image people actually have in their minds.

 

 

But, where The National actually hit the bull’s eye was in its understanding of the role of media as perceived in Emirates which is actually quite different from what is expected of their counterparts in other parts of the globe. One often comes across terms like “Nation’s watchdog’s” or “the fourth pillar of Democracy” in conjugation with the role of media. In western countries particularly, newspapers are regarded as critics, the questions of people, and the voice of dissent that puts everybody and everything in dock unless proved otherwise. But the view that a newspaper is supposed to assume in UAE is diametrically different. Here, they are expected to treat the government, establishment and all higher authorities with a fair amount of trust and respect. Disrespecting such a sentiment will backfire with the readers who are conditioned right from the childhood to behave accordingly. And obviously it will be tantamount to inviting trouble as authorities will certainly view the act as demeaning and destructive.