click on this link:
http://www.gulfnews.com/nation/Police_and_The_Courts/10118676.html
OR just click on the title of my previous post!
Saturday, April 21, 2007
Robbery in Wafi, Dubai!
The first time i heard about the story, was by word of mouth, the reason being that the news was published later than the date it actually occured on. Crimes have been neglected or not published before as well. Dubai based news agency were probably restricted from spreading this news to the people early as well. It was probably meant to be kept under the covers - on the low sort of note, agenda setting and gate-keeping, doesnt allow it to come out in the open easily, just like other crimes that didnt get reported in the past! But how could they keep this on the low for long? People had made videos, and besides it was a big loss - jewellery worth, 50 million - GONE!!!
"Unbelievable! Shocking! Astonishing! Lies! No waY!!" Were the words that first came to my mind on hearing aout this! How could it be? In such a safe country like Dubai - or so it appears - How could such a big crime take place?! The police was NOT PREPARED thats for sure! It was the first time something THIS big happened!!
Gulf News reports this:
"Armed robbers raid Wafi jewellery store
By Bassma Al Jandaly, Bassam Za'za', Alia Al Theeb and Sunita Menon, Staff Reporters
Dubai: In a daring robbery, armed men burst into a jewellery store in Wafi City in two cars and made off with a huge amount of jewellery last night, police and witnesses said.
Both the cars used in the heist were stolen; one had a Dubai registration plate while the other was registered in Abu Dhabi, Lieutenant General Dahi Khalfan Tamim, Dubai Police Chief, told Gulf News last night.
No arrests had been made at the time of going to press, but police found the cars, abandoned and burnt, Jamal Al Merri, Deputy Commandant of Dubai Police, told Gulf News.
He said the robbers crashed into the jewellery store Graff, on the ground floor of the mall at around 9.30pm. "This is the first time I've seen such a scene in Dubai," he said..."
(Please click on the attached link to read full article)
Okay.. so IF i were too publish or broadcast this, how would i do it?!
I would begin with publishing it right the next day of the crime, instead of waiting for it to be a little older! It is NEWS for crying out loud, its supposed to be spread fast and all around! People need to know that wherever there is growing population, growth and popularity, and plus think about the inflation too, there will be an increase in the crime rate too. All the big cities of the world have been through this!! But will Dubai loose its image as being 'a safe city'? Well i guess not, one crime won't affect people as much, and that is why the true report must be shown to them. If i had to spread this news about Wafi, i would choose to use both the print media as well as Television broadcast! The saddam hussain's death penalty video shown all over the world, was not a professional one, that too was taken by a phone video. This crime scene video too that spread rapidly, was taken by a mobile camera! So, i would firstly show that on Television, so people would have an idea of how the crime happened, and why it couldnt be stopped right then and there! Then i would move on to reporting it, and commenting on it, adding that just because it happened once, doesnt mean it would happen again! Dubai is a protected city, it will continue being so, the difference between now and then will be only that, this time Dubai police and National security was not prepared for somethign like this, but next time they will be!! Its better to be safe than sorry!
Thanks!!
I still havent stopped believing that Dubai is safe!! --> maybe this is just reflecting my bias! (oops)
"Unbelievable! Shocking! Astonishing! Lies! No waY!!" Were the words that first came to my mind on hearing aout this! How could it be? In such a safe country like Dubai - or so it appears - How could such a big crime take place?! The police was NOT PREPARED thats for sure! It was the first time something THIS big happened!!
Gulf News reports this:
"Armed robbers raid Wafi jewellery store
By Bassma Al Jandaly, Bassam Za'za', Alia Al Theeb and Sunita Menon, Staff Reporters
Dubai: In a daring robbery, armed men burst into a jewellery store in Wafi City in two cars and made off with a huge amount of jewellery last night, police and witnesses said.
Both the cars used in the heist were stolen; one had a Dubai registration plate while the other was registered in Abu Dhabi, Lieutenant General Dahi Khalfan Tamim, Dubai Police Chief, told Gulf News last night.
No arrests had been made at the time of going to press, but police found the cars, abandoned and burnt, Jamal Al Merri, Deputy Commandant of Dubai Police, told Gulf News.
He said the robbers crashed into the jewellery store Graff, on the ground floor of the mall at around 9.30pm. "This is the first time I've seen such a scene in Dubai," he said..."
(Please click on the attached link to read full article)
Okay.. so IF i were too publish or broadcast this, how would i do it?!
I would begin with publishing it right the next day of the crime, instead of waiting for it to be a little older! It is NEWS for crying out loud, its supposed to be spread fast and all around! People need to know that wherever there is growing population, growth and popularity, and plus think about the inflation too, there will be an increase in the crime rate too. All the big cities of the world have been through this!! But will Dubai loose its image as being 'a safe city'? Well i guess not, one crime won't affect people as much, and that is why the true report must be shown to them. If i had to spread this news about Wafi, i would choose to use both the print media as well as Television broadcast! The saddam hussain's death penalty video shown all over the world, was not a professional one, that too was taken by a phone video. This crime scene video too that spread rapidly, was taken by a mobile camera! So, i would firstly show that on Television, so people would have an idea of how the crime happened, and why it couldnt be stopped right then and there! Then i would move on to reporting it, and commenting on it, adding that just because it happened once, doesnt mean it would happen again! Dubai is a protected city, it will continue being so, the difference between now and then will be only that, this time Dubai police and National security was not prepared for somethign like this, but next time they will be!! Its better to be safe than sorry!
Thanks!!
I still havent stopped believing that Dubai is safe!! --> maybe this is just reflecting my bias! (oops)
Signs of Growth
Unfortunately UAE is coming out of its fairyland bubble. As far as I remember the only problem with UAE used to be its hot weather and that’s all. In UAE people ride nice cars, live in nice houses, kids go to high standard schools, and in general the standard of living is high. The cities are clean, the drivers fallow the rules, and the country is growing in everyway as fast as possible.
If you take a good look around, you realize all that used to happen until 1 or 2 years ago. City is not as clean as it used be; poor workers are working more shifts yet they still cannot keep up. Drivers don’t fallow the rules anymore, they just break them. The population is growing faster than the growth of the city that the city cannot keep up anymore. The roads, the compounds, the buildings, the streets, the shopping malls are all bursting from the non-stop growing population. The standard of living just seems to be high when people are working more shifts or shop less or cut out from the fun things they used to do just to be able to pay the rent that is increasing every year without a single difference in their salaries.
Regarding the Wafi City robbery, I think it should have been covered in the news just as it was. It is a big issue that cannot be covered for peoples benefit anymore. People have the right to be informed of such things; to wake up and realize that the population is just so big that the country cannot take care of them as much, and they should take care of themselves to some points.
I don’t think anything like this would happen anytime soon, but obviously it will happen in future. These people were professionals and my guess is that they belong to some mafia gang outside the country. I don’t believe the police can find them since they’ve probably left the country the same night. But, the police are just being supportive and act like they are finding them so that people would feel safer.
And all that change brings us to crimes, thefts, and unsafety. UAE was so perfect sometime you would sit and wonder how a country can be so perfect and safe. With all that growing population, crime, and theft we can say UAE is just becoming normal like every other country. After all this is another outcome of growth.
If you take a good look around, you realize all that used to happen until 1 or 2 years ago. City is not as clean as it used be; poor workers are working more shifts yet they still cannot keep up. Drivers don’t fallow the rules anymore, they just break them. The population is growing faster than the growth of the city that the city cannot keep up anymore. The roads, the compounds, the buildings, the streets, the shopping malls are all bursting from the non-stop growing population. The standard of living just seems to be high when people are working more shifts or shop less or cut out from the fun things they used to do just to be able to pay the rent that is increasing every year without a single difference in their salaries.
Regarding the Wafi City robbery, I think it should have been covered in the news just as it was. It is a big issue that cannot be covered for peoples benefit anymore. People have the right to be informed of such things; to wake up and realize that the population is just so big that the country cannot take care of them as much, and they should take care of themselves to some points.
I don’t think anything like this would happen anytime soon, but obviously it will happen in future. These people were professionals and my guess is that they belong to some mafia gang outside the country. I don’t believe the police can find them since they’ve probably left the country the same night. But, the police are just being supportive and act like they are finding them so that people would feel safer.
And all that change brings us to crimes, thefts, and unsafety. UAE was so perfect sometime you would sit and wonder how a country can be so perfect and safe. With all that growing population, crime, and theft we can say UAE is just becoming normal like every other country. After all this is another outcome of growth.
WAFI!
Hey Everyone,
I must say I was shocked by the news of the Wafi city robbery just as everyone was, and I was even more shocked by the details of the crime ..its just flabbergasting that two people can steal jewelery worth 5o million in less than two minutes. The crime really made me question the safety procedures in Dubai malls. Why is the glass of the jewelery store breakable, although there is unbreakable glass. I think the answer is that Dubai or the UAE's safe reputation and it's low crime rate especially crimes of that nature didn't bring officials to even see the need for security procedures against such crimes. After all it is the first major crime of that kind , and hopefully the last, to be committed in Dubai. I believe that following this crime there will be completely different security insurance in the malls of the UAE. The Dubai police and its Head Mr. Dahi Khalfan dealt with the incident with open mindness and didn't try to hide details from the media. Reports about the crime were all over the media in the Arab world.
I believe that the way Dubai police dealt with the crime, will minimize the effects of the incident on Dubai's safe reputation and on tourism in Dubai. People who have lived in the UAE for years, like myself, as well as others from outside the country will not be intimidated by the crime and refuse to let it affect Dubai. However, all UAE residents hope that the police will act instantly to both expose the full truth about the criminals and send them to jail as well as take all precautions against the possibility of another major crime as such happening in the UAE. And let us be grateful to God that there were no casualties.
I must say I was shocked by the news of the Wafi city robbery just as everyone was, and I was even more shocked by the details of the crime ..its just flabbergasting that two people can steal jewelery worth 5o million in less than two minutes. The crime really made me question the safety procedures in Dubai malls. Why is the glass of the jewelery store breakable, although there is unbreakable glass. I think the answer is that Dubai or the UAE's safe reputation and it's low crime rate especially crimes of that nature didn't bring officials to even see the need for security procedures against such crimes. After all it is the first major crime of that kind , and hopefully the last, to be committed in Dubai. I believe that following this crime there will be completely different security insurance in the malls of the UAE. The Dubai police and its Head Mr. Dahi Khalfan dealt with the incident with open mindness and didn't try to hide details from the media. Reports about the crime were all over the media in the Arab world.
I believe that the way Dubai police dealt with the crime, will minimize the effects of the incident on Dubai's safe reputation and on tourism in Dubai. People who have lived in the UAE for years, like myself, as well as others from outside the country will not be intimidated by the crime and refuse to let it affect Dubai. However, all UAE residents hope that the police will act instantly to both expose the full truth about the criminals and send them to jail as well as take all precautions against the possibility of another major crime as such happening in the UAE. And let us be grateful to God that there were no casualties.
Wafi City Stolen!
When my sister, almost a week ago, told me that a number of thieves broke into a jewelry shop, in Wafi city, with their car, and stole the shop right in front of people's eyes then left, my first response was: I didn’t know they have other Wafi Cities out side UAE! Honestly, I think, as a person who was born and raised in Dubai, that UAE is one of the safest countries in the world. In the United Arab Emirates, it's safe to be out at 12:00 am, crimes are rare, and crimes that happen are not tragedian, even when a crime happens, it doesn’t make a huge influence, and the media maintains secrecy, not to spread fear, until the problem is dealt with effectively. I think it’s a wise way to deal with problems, it's also have proven that it keeps the situation under control. The way the police in UAE is very effective and silent is, in my opinion, professional, because once the word gets spread out, it causes more negative than positive effects. I am not saying that the audiences don’t have the right to know, because they do, but the media, most of the times, maximizes the problem, in order to pull attention, in a useless attempt to convince people that there is a problem. Well, I think in this case it was only an accident, that’s why I agree with the brief information that was given about it, but in the case where there is a problem of spreading crimes, of course, educating people about it will be essential, and if I was in charge of telling the media, I would keep it brief until the problem is solved, then publish the details.
Talking about Wafi city, it is a very luxuries and elegant shopping mall, with all the well known brands, and high standards, it occupies a large piece of land in a nice spot inside Dubai city. I think the mall safety plans are good enough for the people who are expected in such a place, and from my point of view, more safety actions could not be taken in it, what happened was totally un expected, so it's not a flow in the system, I think it's just that 'the robbers' took advantage of the shock they are going to cause, before any action is taken against them, which would give them sometime to get away, after all, there is a probably that any place could be robbed, even with high security plans.
As I see it, this is the first time such a huge attention is given to a case, since a long time in Dubai, and it’s the second time in UAE, because around a year and a half ago there was a rumor about a killer in Sharjah (Safah al Sharjah) who pulled huge attention himself and caused people's panic, and until this moment, I don't know if he really existed or not. Finally, I think it's normal to have such things every once and a while, and thank God it doesn't happen often.
Talking about Wafi city, it is a very luxuries and elegant shopping mall, with all the well known brands, and high standards, it occupies a large piece of land in a nice spot inside Dubai city. I think the mall safety plans are good enough for the people who are expected in such a place, and from my point of view, more safety actions could not be taken in it, what happened was totally un expected, so it's not a flow in the system, I think it's just that 'the robbers' took advantage of the shock they are going to cause, before any action is taken against them, which would give them sometime to get away, after all, there is a probably that any place could be robbed, even with high security plans.
As I see it, this is the first time such a huge attention is given to a case, since a long time in Dubai, and it’s the second time in UAE, because around a year and a half ago there was a rumor about a killer in Sharjah (Safah al Sharjah) who pulled huge attention himself and caused people's panic, and until this moment, I don't know if he really existed or not. Finally, I think it's normal to have such things every once and a while, and thank God it doesn't happen often.
"Hollywood Style Crime!"
"Hollywood Style Crime 1st time in Dubai,UAE!" as they called on www.netscape.com. personally, to us, Dubai was perhaps the safest country to live in, until an event ocurred and shook the residents and even the authorities of such a peace and civilized country! At 9:30 pm when the mall was still in its working time, full with shoppers and tourists, two cars drove into the entrance and into the "Graff", the jewelery shop's, display and stole all the jewelery that was displayed at the time. There losses are not estimated yet, however, such an incident can not be tolerated and have to be stopped at any costs. Through out years, Dubai was growing at an unbelievable rate, and hitting new records that not many countries did, especially in the area. Such an event has turned the heads of the authorities to places and parts they never thought that Dubai would face, CRIMES! To be honest, we hardly see any crimes in Dubai, and perhaps this was a motive for those criminals to go ahead with their operation and do such a daring job in a country packed with security and peace. Instead of hiding such an incident, we should publicize it as much as we can and let people know about it as much as possible, because this is how we help the authorities to fight crime, and this is how we create a safe environment for our children and families. Hiding such an event maybe would let the "image" of Dubai preserved and look nice, but it would also be lying to ourselves, and covering our own problems with more problems, journalists are obliged to be honest and accurate when it comes to events and news like this. This is why I am publicizing my message, because personally I want to fight crime in Dubai, because this is how I keep the good image of this country.
Wafi city robbery
Crimes happen everywhere. They are not exclusive for any country. But the level of crimes and the number of the crimes differ from one country to another. Crimes in U.A.E are few, even if there is much crime the media doesn’t cover it all. The reason for this is because these crimes are normal crimes and not from the big size. Wafi robbery was one of a kind in U.A.E; it might be the first kind of crime that different media channels cover around the world. This happened because this never happened before. In fact, Dubai police is known to be the second best police department in the whole world. In addition, Dubai is well known around the world as a safe country, with a low number of crimes compared to other modern cities and countries. In fact Dubai depends on all the residents for its growth, and considers them as locals. This robbery can hurt Dubai image in many ways. But this is decided by the news channel that broadcast the news and how it explains it. It might be hard, because it’s the first time that this happen. I got shocked when I hared the news, I didn’t believe that this kind of thing might happen in Dubai. If I will broadcast this on a T.V channel I work in, I will deal with it professionally. So I won’t blame anybody for this but the robbers. Because Dubai gave the trust to everybody, and it allowed different people from different countries to come and live here. This is how they paid back. The crime will be covered by other channels, and they will be blaming Dubai police. But why do all people always blame the countries that things happen in it for the first time and forget about the countries that these things happen in it again and again. Of course Dubai police will try to cover this story, but this is their legal right. Some other people might blame Wafi centre security and management, but I’m sure that they shouldn’t be blamed. Because no body expected this to happen, and they are humans who didn’t expect it too.
Mafia in Dubai
As usual, I am always busy with work and university. So I don’t have any clue about the new events, songs, movies or news, and I am always one of the last people who know about the breaking news. On April 16 which was the last Monday, I was surprised by hearing every body in the university discussing a shocking robbery that happened in Wafi city. After a while, I met my friend Noura who told me about the crime, and showed me a video taken by one her friends who witnessed the robbery. Honestly, I couldn’t believe what I watched and heard because as we know UAE has always been a safe country. The robbery was sophisticated and well planned, it was just like what we see in the movies and I think that those people are from the MAFIA.
Here’s what I heard, on Sunday night (April 15) at 9:30 pm a bunch of gang rammed into the Graff Jewellery shop which is one of the most prestigious shops in the UAE. It’s full of unique diamonds and gold that don’t exist in any other place around the world.
Now I’ll move to my main topic, which is my role as a decision maker in UAE’s main TV channel. As we all know, mass media has a great deal of influence in covering the crime news. The power of the mass media allows newspapers, radio, magazines and television to use their own judgment when reporting current events. In some instances media is considered as an asset to the government. However, in other times it could be an obstacle. In the case of waif robbery, most of the well known newspapers such as Gulf News published brief information about the issue. They couldn’t say much and I think the reason behind that is the government. UAE government doesn’t want people to be scared so they are trying to hide the facts and the truth.
Here’s what I heard, on Sunday night (April 15) at 9:30 pm a bunch of gang rammed into the Graff Jewellery shop which is one of the most prestigious shops in the UAE. It’s full of unique diamonds and gold that don’t exist in any other place around the world.
Now I’ll move to my main topic, which is my role as a decision maker in UAE’s main TV channel. As we all know, mass media has a great deal of influence in covering the crime news. The power of the mass media allows newspapers, radio, magazines and television to use their own judgment when reporting current events. In some instances media is considered as an asset to the government. However, in other times it could be an obstacle. In the case of waif robbery, most of the well known newspapers such as Gulf News published brief information about the issue. They couldn’t say much and I think the reason behind that is the government. UAE government doesn’t want people to be scared so they are trying to hide the facts and the truth.
If I was a decision maker in TV channel, I will immediately use all the mass media technologies to broadcast this breaking event. As a media presenter, my responsibility is to be honest with my audience and legally do whatever it costs me to provide them with information they expect and need. In addition, I should take this exceptional opportunity and try my best to have exclusive scenes and truthful reports in order to present the whole picture to my audience. So to grab the attention of the people and make them watch my channel, I will try to be the first channel that broadcast the news, because in all the ways the crime is going to be covered by other news channels. I think this is ethical and I have the right to do so because this is what we learn in our media courses to say the truth, also this is the reason of media existence. However, my news will always be on a high level of professionalism which doesn’t hurt the image of Dubai. If I was the decision maker, I will carefully observe the country’s rules and regulations about broadcasting certain news, because I’ll never damage my organization by exposing it to unethical behaviors.
Mafia in Dubai
As usual, I am always busy with work and university. So I don’t have any clue about the new events, songs, movies or news, and I am always one of the last people who know about the breaking news. On April 16 which was the last Monday, I was surprised by hearing every body in the university discussing a shocking robbery that happened in Wafi city. After a while, I met my friend Noura who told me about the crime, and showed me a video taken by one her friends who witnessed the robbery. Honestly, I couldn’t believe what I watched and heard because as we know UAE has always been a safe country. The robbery was sophisticated and well planned, it was just like what we see in the movies and I think that those people are from the MAFIA.
Here’s what I heard, on Sunday night (April 15) at 9:30 pm a bunch of gang rammed into the Graff Jewellery shop which is one of the most prestigious shops in the UAE. It’s full of unique diamonds and gold that don’t exist in any other place around the world.
Now I’ll move to my main topic, which is my role as a decision maker in UAE’s main TV channel. As we all know, mass media has a great deal of influence in covering the crime news. The power of the mass media allows newspapers, radio, magazines and television to use their own judgment when reporting current events. In some instances media is considered as an asset to the government. However, in other times it could be an obstacle. In the case of waif robbery, most of the well known newspapers such as Gulf News published brief information about the issue. They couldn’t say much and I think the reason behind that is the government. UAE government doesn’t want people to be scared so they are trying to hide the facts and the truth.
Here’s what I heard, on Sunday night (April 15) at 9:30 pm a bunch of gang rammed into the Graff Jewellery shop which is one of the most prestigious shops in the UAE. It’s full of unique diamonds and gold that don’t exist in any other place around the world.
Now I’ll move to my main topic, which is my role as a decision maker in UAE’s main TV channel. As we all know, mass media has a great deal of influence in covering the crime news. The power of the mass media allows newspapers, radio, magazines and television to use their own judgment when reporting current events. In some instances media is considered as an asset to the government. However, in other times it could be an obstacle. In the case of waif robbery, most of the well known newspapers such as Gulf News published brief information about the issue. They couldn’t say much and I think the reason behind that is the government. UAE government doesn’t want people to be scared so they are trying to hide the facts and the truth.
If I was a decision maker in TV channel, I will immediately use all the mass media technologies to broadcast this breaking event. As a media presenter, my responsibility is to be honest with my audience and legally do whatever it costs me to provide them with information they expect and need. In addition, I should take this exceptional opportunity and try my best to have exclusive scenes and truthful reports in order to present the whole picture to my audience. So to grab the attention of the people and make them watch my channel, I will try to be the first channel that broadcast the news, because in all the ways the crime is going to be covered by other news channels. I think this is ethical and I have the right to do so because this is what we learn in our media courses to say the truth, also this is the reason of media existence. However, my news will always be on a high level of professionalism which doesn’t hurt the image of Dubai. If I was the decision maker, I will carefully observe the country’s rules and regulations about broadcasting certain news, because I’ll never damage my organization by exposing it to unethical behaviors.
Dubai's most new crime
It was dramatic to hear what did happen in waif last week where a cabal came inside and stole a bunch of jewelries. Who can we blame? The first and the last we will blame the security system in malls, the police as well and the media. Recently that headline was on many of the British newspapers “A Serb gunman from Kosovo has been found guilty of taking part in a £23m jewel robbery in London's West End. A second man had already pleaded guilty. BBC News Online examines who the gang were and what happened to the £20m worth of jewels still missing” and when I read the article the shop was Graff as well, it might be the same gang where every group of them have assigned in a certain country, that’s a possibility. I’ve been in London in the spring holiday and I passed beside Graff there in Bond Street, it was exactly different than the one in wafi and the time I had seen it before. They don’t display their whole products in the store like they used to, now the customer can go inside and see many few products, and the real expensive jewels he or she can pick it up from a catalogue; that’s for sure is a mistake and a point they missed from the branch of wafi city. I go very often to wafi and the securities is poorly distributed there; in a place like this police should be provided there as well because wafi is one of the places that contain so many brands and so many expensive items and shops that costs so much; so police and authorities should keep this point in their mind. The media is responsible for what happens because the case had happened before in wafi and they didn’t gave it the big pith to cover all what happens immediately, so that people can know as well as other criminals so that they can understand and get scared that it’s an important and serious crime that happen. I don’t think what happened is a serious case that will affect the UAE and its nice reputation between countries and that it’s a good place for tourists because that case can happened in all developed cities but the most important thing is that they learn from their mistakes so that it didn’t happen again.
Why Dubai?
The robbery of Wafe center was an unexpected crime in UAE. When I first heard about the accident I thought it was a joke because for me I never saw this kind of crimes only on TV. I have never thought that it would happen here in my country. I believe that is the tax of fame, development, and openness to the world. Such bands are widespread in the rich and developed countries such as Europe, America, and some Asian countries which are called Mafia. These are organized bands that began to Target us because of the weak security in our region. But the thing that pissed me is that the media in UAE didn’t cover the whole story, I’ve just heard about it in the Internet. Maybe our government follows the policy of reservation for some reasons that we don’t know. If I was a Decision maker in media I would broadcast it immediately and tell the whole truth, but first I have to take the permission from the Government because as I said before maybe the reason for not broadcasting the story is because of some reservation. I think that the government has the right to stop Media from broadcasting any news because at the end they know what is better a safe for our country.
Thursday, April 19, 2007
The Emarati Job
It was around 1 am. I was just chatting to some people on MSN when one of my friends called me up. She said something in the lines of "HOOR! THEY ROBBED GRAFF!" Naturally, I didnt believe her at all. Graff?! C'mon! An expensive diamond shop like that would never keep it's guard down. That's what I thought, being the part-realist/part-cynic that I am. To my own surprise, she sent me a video of the incident within the next few minutes. I remember thinking "whoah, it's like something out of a movie!" Within hours, word got around. UAE-based blogs were all writing about it just hours after it happened. It was the hot topic, raising many questions with it: Who could have done it? Were they armed? How much money (in diamonds) was stolen? Why the lack of security? Where were the police?
The local media reacted in different ways. For example, the incident happened on Sunday night, and it had front page coverage the next day on the british-owned tabloid 7DAYS. However, government-owned Emirates Today did not feature the story until Tuesday. Is this somehow related to protecting national security and reputation to an extent? Maybe. The UAE always boasted a relatively-low crime rate along with a reputation of being extremely safe. This sort of media coverage would not be helpful at all, especially since the country is relying on tourists to boost the economy, along with luring people from other countries to take residency in the Emirates.
The thing about this particular crime is that it was caught on camera by people, and footage was immediately distributed all over town. If this were not the case, the robbery wouldn't have gotten much media coverage, if any. It's no secret that crime (as low as it is said to be) is quite "covered up" here. An example of this is the Siddiqi store robbery just last year; it was just mentioned in passing, and the news died quickly. Since people were seeing the footage everywhere, the media was almost 'forced' to respond and cover the story, making it front page news. As for being honest with the audience, there really isnt much to say. They broke in, took about 2 minutes to get 50 million dirhams worth of diamonds, and broke out. These are all the facts on the table, nothing more, nothing less, so presenting this would be relatively simple. Of course I would broadcast the news since everyone else will be doing it (people would want answers to the video that was leaked). I would just lay the facts that the police provide on the table.
Would this hurt the country's image? I highly doubt it. One robbery doesnt mean anything. It doesnt bring down the safety percentage greatly. Its almost insignificant. It's not like anyone was shot (unlike in the US, where there seems to be school shootings on a regular basis now). Graff is probably insured, and the robbery would be a lesson to other stores to increase security. Even malls should consider increasing their own security. It would have been impossible for the police to reach there within 2 minutes, but mall security could have done something.
Overall, people living here had something exciting to talk about this past week while sipping their morning coffees. Why? Because some civilians were smart and quick enough to pull their phones out and take a videos of a shocking event. Would we have heard about it otherwise, if the robbery hadent been during working hours? Probably not, or maybe just in passing. In any case, I think people exagerrate when they start discussing issues of national security and the country's overall safety. It was a robbery, not a terrorist plot to unleash a nuclear weapon in the middle of town.
The local media reacted in different ways. For example, the incident happened on Sunday night, and it had front page coverage the next day on the british-owned tabloid 7DAYS. However, government-owned Emirates Today did not feature the story until Tuesday. Is this somehow related to protecting national security and reputation to an extent? Maybe. The UAE always boasted a relatively-low crime rate along with a reputation of being extremely safe. This sort of media coverage would not be helpful at all, especially since the country is relying on tourists to boost the economy, along with luring people from other countries to take residency in the Emirates.
The thing about this particular crime is that it was caught on camera by people, and footage was immediately distributed all over town. If this were not the case, the robbery wouldn't have gotten much media coverage, if any. It's no secret that crime (as low as it is said to be) is quite "covered up" here. An example of this is the Siddiqi store robbery just last year; it was just mentioned in passing, and the news died quickly. Since people were seeing the footage everywhere, the media was almost 'forced' to respond and cover the story, making it front page news. As for being honest with the audience, there really isnt much to say. They broke in, took about 2 minutes to get 50 million dirhams worth of diamonds, and broke out. These are all the facts on the table, nothing more, nothing less, so presenting this would be relatively simple. Of course I would broadcast the news since everyone else will be doing it (people would want answers to the video that was leaked). I would just lay the facts that the police provide on the table.
Would this hurt the country's image? I highly doubt it. One robbery doesnt mean anything. It doesnt bring down the safety percentage greatly. Its almost insignificant. It's not like anyone was shot (unlike in the US, where there seems to be school shootings on a regular basis now). Graff is probably insured, and the robbery would be a lesson to other stores to increase security. Even malls should consider increasing their own security. It would have been impossible for the police to reach there within 2 minutes, but mall security could have done something.
Overall, people living here had something exciting to talk about this past week while sipping their morning coffees. Why? Because some civilians were smart and quick enough to pull their phones out and take a videos of a shocking event. Would we have heard about it otherwise, if the robbery hadent been during working hours? Probably not, or maybe just in passing. In any case, I think people exagerrate when they start discussing issues of national security and the country's overall safety. It was a robbery, not a terrorist plot to unleash a nuclear weapon in the middle of town.
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Armed robbers raid Wafi jewellery store
How did the national media dealt with this crime? use few news reports available online, along with your observation of how the story was covered in broadcast media to develop your own approach (the best) for covering the crime news in the UAE and this crime in specific. imagine
you are a decision maker in the main TV channel and its up to you to broadcast the news or not? and how to present it. considering the possible methods of admitting it, and minimizing the
possible national loss
you have to take few points into consideration
you are a decision maker in the main TV channel and its up to you to broadcast the news or not? and how to present it. considering the possible methods of admitting it, and minimizing the
possible national loss
you have to take few points into consideration
- the well-established and emphasized image of Dubai and the UAE as a safe country
- the fact that this publicity is one of the most important assets of the country that is believed to participate to its economic growth
- you don't want to hurt this image
- you have a responsibility to honest with your audience and provide them with information they expect and need.
- you should be responsible for the level of professionalism of your organization
- the crime is going to be covered anyway by other news channels
Monday, April 16, 2007
Celebrities and their Privacy
What a lot of people fail to see is that minus the diamonds, cars and over-priced couture, celebrities are simply just like any average human being. And like any other average Joe, they are entitled to their own privacy. What really ticks me off is the occasional photos in certain magazines titled 'Celebrities: They're just like us!" with images of Reese Witherspoon annoyed because she's got a parking ticket, or Tom Cruise cheering at his daughter's football game, or even Britney Spears's notorious trip in which she almost dropped her baby, and spilled her coffee. Never would I have thought that tripping over one's feet would reveal that someone is a bad parent and is in no shape to take care of their children.
Another memorable event is Lindsay Lohan's car crash. The media made it sound like she wasn't fit to drive, that she was probably 'under the influence' the party girl that she is. But in reality, it was because she was trying to flee from the paparazzi. Not only do I find them extremely annoying, I sometimes find myself sympathizing with them. They, as of everyone (even the celebrities they chase around), are just doing their job, making a living, 'putting food on the table' after a long, hard day.
Celebrities are indeed entitled to their own privacy, but in the words of the great Elizabeth Taylor "Some of those young kids go otu couring the press. If that's what you want, that's what you're going to get. There are million ways to avoid it." (As told to US-Weekly, April 9, 2007). I completely agree with this statment, a lot of celebrities expose their youngsters to the critical ete of the media then complain about how the paparazzi's won't leave them alone, and won't let them enjoy a peaceful family outing. I do believe that such interferences can be prevented and avoided, if that is really their pure intention.
Another memorable event is Lindsay Lohan's car crash. The media made it sound like she wasn't fit to drive, that she was probably 'under the influence' the party girl that she is. But in reality, it was because she was trying to flee from the paparazzi. Not only do I find them extremely annoying, I sometimes find myself sympathizing with them. They, as of everyone (even the celebrities they chase around), are just doing their job, making a living, 'putting food on the table' after a long, hard day.
Celebrities are indeed entitled to their own privacy, but in the words of the great Elizabeth Taylor "Some of those young kids go otu couring the press. If that's what you want, that's what you're going to get. There are million ways to avoid it." (As told to US-Weekly, April 9, 2007). I completely agree with this statment, a lot of celebrities expose their youngsters to the critical ete of the media then complain about how the paparazzi's won't leave them alone, and won't let them enjoy a peaceful family outing. I do believe that such interferences can be prevented and avoided, if that is really their pure intention.
Sunday, April 15, 2007
Everybody has the right to have their own space, so why not celebrities? People just want to create scandals and spread rumours and create lots of gossip about anyone who is famous or popular, this is just the world works. The media, is unfortunately one fo the biggest agents of promoting this though. Celebrities do not have their privacy and i believe they have the whole and soul right to! To a limit, or if it is strictly proffessional about their career or movies, songs, etc. media can talk about it. But simply distrubing the peace, is from no where considered to be decency! The media does not have the limits in persepecitve! There are times when the paparazzia go over-the-board and go all out in order to make fun of someone, or look down upon someone. Yes, it is all part of the "popularity game", but that does not make it right.
I disagree with the statement that celebritites bring it upon themselves, because even though there are some celebrities that have a knack of doing things for publicity, there those others that don't really care about the what the world thinks or whether the world should know about their life! In this situation the media is challenged even more, to go and FIND OUT more about those hidden truths, about those particular celebrties and start never-ending rumours, for those people leaving a lingering trail of whispers behind them!
Yes, i definitely feel pity for them, it is not a price they should be paying for being rich or famous, but they have to! They are good at their work, even if not the best, thats why they are popular! So leave them alone, media people, and let them have their space!!!
:)
Everything works both ways, both the journalists (media) and celebrities themselves are the ones who can come up with a solution for this, it will take time, just the way it has grown over the years and increased, in order to subside it will take longer. So, here is praying that people will realise the morally correct way to view this and change how rumours, gossip and tension about someone else's lives appeals to them!!
I disagree with the statement that celebritites bring it upon themselves, because even though there are some celebrities that have a knack of doing things for publicity, there those others that don't really care about the what the world thinks or whether the world should know about their life! In this situation the media is challenged even more, to go and FIND OUT more about those hidden truths, about those particular celebrties and start never-ending rumours, for those people leaving a lingering trail of whispers behind them!
Yes, i definitely feel pity for them, it is not a price they should be paying for being rich or famous, but they have to! They are good at their work, even if not the best, thats why they are popular! So leave them alone, media people, and let them have their space!!!
:)
Everything works both ways, both the journalists (media) and celebrities themselves are the ones who can come up with a solution for this, it will take time, just the way it has grown over the years and increased, in order to subside it will take longer. So, here is praying that people will realise the morally correct way to view this and change how rumours, gossip and tension about someone else's lives appeals to them!!
celebrities and thier rights to have privacy
Unfortunately nowadays celebrities have absolutely no privacy because of the media. If someone like Britney Spears goes to buy a new dress, the same day we would see journals about her choice of dresses and how her taste in fashion has changed. In my opinion, this is neither moral nor ethical, we should be more civilized. We cannot control their lives like that; we should give them a little bit more space. These people are human beings and they have the right to live freely and with no worries of anyone invading their privacy. This issue goes so far that once I have seen pictures of celebrities taken at home while spending time with their families, these shot were taken by a paparazzi waiting outside their house. Celebrities do not have privacy what so ever and this should change. The celebrities should live their lives freely doing they want to do until the media gets over them.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)