UAE press under pressure over the last year

Dubai: The UAE took a major step backward in press freedom last year. That is according to the latest Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Index, and confirmed by prominent media personalities in the country.

Two publications faced suspension for content they published, the control over the flow of information from government entities was tightened with the introduction of official spokespersons, and the financial crisis left local newspapers struggling to compete with foreign publications for fair and objective coverage.

Despite that, the UAE remained in 2009, as in the year before, at third place in press freedoms among Arab states, following Kuwait and Lebanon, according to the Index. Seventeen places down from 2008, the country is on par with Uganda at 86.

While media personalities hailed certain small steps taken to improve transparency and enhance the role of the media in the country, they lamented the setbacks as having overshadowed the developments.