UAE | Media

Open letter to the readers

I am often asked this question, especially when interacting with the younger readers: 'Do you think newspapers will survive?'

  • by Abdul Hamid Ahmad, Editor-in-Chief
  • Published: 00:00 November 28, 2006
  • Gulf News

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An open letter from the Editor-in-Chief to the readers:

I am often asked this question, especially when interacting with the younger readers: “Do you think newspapers will survive?''

I have no definitive answer to that question, as is the case for the numerous media experts who frequently debate the future of newspapers. But, several readership studies have thrown up one word that just might be key to survival for print journalism. And that is: “reinvention''.

We have to challenge every day, every hour, every minute, every second of our existence as journalists. Our quest is for truth and our endeavour to present all sides of it. A free and fair newspaper presents all aspects of an argument, in a neutral manner. We have to rethink everything that we do and have done in the past.

The vital part in that process is maintaining loyal readers while attracting new, younger ones. Readers should be granted respect and a forum to express their views.

In Gulf News the main platform for that is the space devoted to readers' letters. It is a place that only has the voice of the readers, edited for clarity, structure, factual error and space. We receive hundreds of responses through email, fax and phone calls. Each one is important to us, but space allows only a few to be published.

The fact that readers have taken the effort to pen their thoughts across to us make them invaluable. The reader comments are picked based on the various viewpoints they offer, argument presented, relevance and focus. We try and give as many people as possible an opportunity to be heard.

As Gulf News and its sister publications evolve and develop, the need exists to formulate basic guidelines to communicate and collaborate with readers.

No set of rules could possibly address all situations. But, we have attempted to create a Reader's Policy based on best practices followed by newspapers around the world. The guidelines in it describe the values and standards we pursue in the journalism we practise at Gulf News. We see this as more of a decision-making process than a set of regulations.
Building an adaptive, constructive culture that is attuned to readers is our primary goal. Such a process changes the ethos of the organisation and treats readers with respect.
The first consolidated step in that direction has been the appointment of the Readers Editor Anupa Kurian.

What is her role and how does it matter to you, the reader?
She is your representative, your point of contact in the newsroom. She is the reader advocate in all news planning and strategy discussions. Her aim is to help the newspaper achieve maximum interaction with its readers and address any concerns or complaints that you may have with the newspaper. She will ensure solutions are achieved and implemented.

Will this guarantee perfect service? We hope so. There will be the occasional failure, but we will evaluate them objectively and learn, to prevent them from happening too often.

It is about creating an environment that is more outward looking and responsive to change. For a newspaper, objectivity is not just an idea that is debated in its editorial pages but a social responsibility.

Objectivity must be supported by a set of guidelines that specify for readers how the newspaper and its editors will handle situations that may arise, to make readers feel as respected, participating members of the newsgathering and disseminating process.

Here we are presenting some of those tools to give readers a fair idea of the guiding principle.

All of it may not be to your satisfaction, but we hope that you will use these means to have a dynamic and robust dialogue with Gulf News, to keep us relevant and alive.

Thank you,
Abdul Hamid Ahmad

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