UAE: "Western" paper breaks ground in UAE's strict press environment

The National, a "western" paper recently launched in the United Arab Emirates, has overcome cultural difficulties to achieve success, the Guardian's Roy Greenslade reports.

Despite the inherent challenges of being a western publication in the Middle East, the National is distributing over 65,000 copies daily.

"We have made waves," a senior executive said.

The project of former Daily Telegraph editor Martin Newland, the National was founded approximately two-and-a-half months ago, and was viewed by many experts as a risk. The analytical reporting that marks "western" papers is markedly different from the reporting of UAE papers, which are subjected to government censorship and often publish press releases verbatim.

The National has encountered some resistance as a result of its reporting. The paper has published articles on issues normally left untouched by the UAE press. Examples include pieces on inflation, traffic problems, and the lack of low-cost housing. Though mild by Western standards, the paper's critical articles have bristled the business community..

"In truth, this country and the commercial operatives here have never been audited by the press," said one foreign journalist.

While the National has made leaps of progress, the paper is managing its expectations. Their mission, after all, is unprecedented.

"You have to see this more as a political and social operation than a commercial one," the executive said.

Related:

More National news: The paper recently launched "UAE's first weekly, Arabic-language financial newspaper", SFN Blog reports.

Source: The Guardian