United Arab Emirates
Economic crisis kept off the front pagePosted Mar 10 2009
The United Arab Emirates (U.A.E) is trying to keep the global economic crisis off the front pages, the Associated Press reported March 1.
According to AP, a draft media law would give authorities more power to regulate increasingly gloomy economic reporting in the U.A.E. Dubai is considered the Middle East's business and entertainment capital and the country had enjoyed hyper-growth for a long time.
The draft media law, passed in January, can impose fines up to $136,000 for carrying misleading news that harms the national economy and for deliberately publishing false news. It also includes fines of $272,000 for “insulting” members of the ruling elite.
The final version of the draft awaits presidential approval, but journalists believe the officials are trying to force news outlets to become part of the country's image-building machine.
Government officials defend the draft by saying that it is in “no way a response” to the economic turmoil and work on it began two years ago.
National Media Council Director Ibrahim al-Abed said, “It's merely a coincidence that the legislation has reached the stage of review … when our economy, like that of every country, is facing complex problems,” adding that the proposed law would not affect the foreign media.
“Dubai has an economic threat going on,” said Timothy Walters, head of the journalism and mass communications department at the American University of Sharjah. “When a society feels threatened, people who manage it try to regulate the media because they know media has the power to change.”
Most Mideast countries pose challenges for local coverage of sensitive topics, such as the rulers' private lives or political dissent.
A front-page news in Al Khaleej newspaper last week complained about the tone of exaggeration and panic in the international and Arab media on the Emirates' economic crises.