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The sun sets on Emirates Evening Post: Another UAE publication bites the dust April 23, 2007

Posted by Farrukh Naeem at copywriterjournalist.com in : Advertising , trackback

Emirates Evening Post was missing in action yesterday and it was sad to read about it in today’s Khaleej Times. Ben Flanagan’s report on ArabianBusiness.com notes that it is the end for the publication because of licensing issues. A three-month grace period had been granted to the paper in February by the UAE National Media Council (NMC), the report says.

The UAE’s only English newspaper that brought us fresh news in the evening - before the morning newspapers woke up - will take with it some fond memories. I had a chance to meet (and be interviewed by) some of its wonderful reporters over the years – Bobin James whose pictures of live concerts I absolutely loved, Veena Kuruvilla who I crossed paths with on her humanitarian beat, Kamakshi Matai and most recently, Vinod Kumar.

Dubai Media Observer’s blog is lamenting the loss with black arm bands and a gothic style tomb stone. I’ll just leave you, dear reader, with a picture to remember the newspaper by and good wishes to the fellow journalists at the Emirates Evening Post whose bylines I hope to see soon in other leading papers if things work out well for them.

I do want to know why publishing is becoming such a risky business. Journalists get injured, even killed in a war zone. I think to find out one fine day that your paper has closed down is nothing less damaging to one’s career.

Since I don’t want to become the messenger of bad news, to all my ad buddies who thought that our favourite but missing Campaign ME magazine won’t be back, I have something to say - friends are working hard to bring it back on the scene soon. Watch this space!

UPDATE – 25 April 2007: Since my post two days ago, Gulf News has reported that 400 employees of three newspapers have been affected. Another interesting media blog called Open Mind has expressed grief for the newspaper that it says launched the career of many a journalist. GDB has blogged about it in here.

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Comments»

1. gdbdubai - April 25, 2007

Thanks Farrukh for Linking me!
I’ve put a link to you on my Blogroll – you have an awesome blog!
best regards
GDB

2. farrukh: copywriter & journalist - April 25, 2007

Thanks gdb,

You’ve got a good blog going too, wish I could understand the language fluently ;-)

farrukh

3. Freemind (aka Open Mind) - April 25, 2007

Thanks Farrukh for that that citation in your post!

“Grief” – that’s a too strong a word to express my feelings. Wouldn’t you think it would be just a tinge of sadness, when you see good publications shut down for mere lack of paper work?

Anyways will drop into your blog more often, have kept reading it off and on for some time now :)

p.s. You might enjoy this entry of mine
http://freemind007.blogspot.com/2007/04/twist-in-journalistic-perspectives.html

4. farrukh: copywriter & journalist - April 26, 2007

Welcome Freemind – again – since you’ve been visiting, off and on

Wait till you see the tombstone with the skull that has been erected for the deceased… now that is the way to mourn the loss.

On a serious note, you are the person who knows best what you are feeling – so we’ll go with the tinge of sadness bit.

Look forward to your comments and inputs,

farrukh

5. anjaly - May 22, 2007

hi
sad yes, but inevitable…and you forgot to mention that I too, once worked for them :-(

6. farrukh: copywriter & journalist - May 22, 2007

Welcome Anjaly,

Yes – you too. There.

farrukh