-------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Add your name to the CLEAN GOA INITIATIVE | | | | by visiting this link and following the instructions therein | | | | http://shire.symonds.net/pipermail/goanet/2005-October/033926.html | -------------------------------------------------------------------------- And Reaven said Nevermore
Recently GW spoke to founding managing editor of The Times, Kuwait, Reaven D'Souza. He has over 17 years of journalism experience and ia a relentless advocate for human rights in Kuwait and has worked in different capacities in Kuwait Times daily before leaving and setting up his own fortnightly newsmagazine, The Times, Kuwait. Recently, he has donned an active role of a reformist in developing the local media by empowering journalists and is secretary-general of Kuwait Asian Journalists Association (KAJA), an organisation set up to defend the rights of journalists in the country. How freely are the opinions and viewpoints discussed in the local dailies? I would say that a huge divide between Arabic and English publications exists in terms of opinions and viewpoints. There is a distinct feeling that English publications rarely if ever influence opinions of those who are concerned. However, that is not to say issues from labour and maid exploitation to social issues and sometimes political opinion are not frequently expressed in an open and frank way. There is still much left to be desired. To-date English publications have refrained from crossing the line, that is by exercising self censorship publications aim to strike the right balance between the reader who wants to know and the government who it does not want to upset. Do the local dailies offer any substantial fare for the Asian expatriate palate? Absolutely not, as none of the local dailies subscribe to any Asian based news service coverage and Asian issues are restricted to feeds from Western agencies and occasional coverage from local Asian journalists. What is lacking in the Kuwaiti media, and what can be done to address the issue? One of the biggest obstacles facing Kuwaiti media is the lack of training of journalists including publishers and editors. This has really prevented them from experimenting and developing ideas that might help generate advertising revenue as well as increase circulation. While there is a reasonable amount of freedom of the Press there is a disproportionate amount of qualified and trained staff to take advantage of that. Several factors are responsible. One factor is sustainability of local dailies as they are subsidised and enjoy certain amount of financial protection. At the expense of investing in professionalism dailies choose to maintain status quo. What's the future for newspapers will they always be around? They'll be around for a long time. I think, though, that eventually they'll be quite different. For instance, media will stand on a platform of technology. More people will rely on the Internet to get stocks, sports statistics, national news, etc, so newspapers will be able to streamline their coverage in these areas. If you had one piece of advice to offer to young journalists, what would it be? Being properly trained is perhaps the first pre-requisite. Attending workshops, understanding ethics, striving to establish international standards can only help journalists advance and make a difference to society. Finally, as a journalist, say what you have to say, because no one else can, and that's what you have to contribute. That's your value. And, that's my two cents! Gulf Weekly Kuwait Bureau http://www.gulfweeklyworldwide.com/article.asp?Sn=2978&Article=10675 - Forwarded by www.goa-world.com __________________________________ Yahoo! FareChase: Search multiple travel sites in one click. http://farechase.yahoo.com
