'Her Say' host says media in Dubai not up to the standard

Dubai: Aida Al Busaidy -- the Vice President of Internal Communication at Dubai Group, the global financial investor of Dubai Holding, and co-host of the programme Her Say on Dubai One -- feels the media in Dubai is still not up to par to compete internationally.

"We have a lot to learn and a lot to contribute. The best thing is that we have the resources, the money and the support and the willingness to learn," she says with conviction.

The young Emirati says that to strive to be the next Financial Times or Washington Post is good, "but we need to be able to open up more and allow personal opinions. The media influence over people is huge," she says.

She is looking forward to the day when people in New York will pick up a UAE newspaper from the stands or watch Dubai One TV. "This is the level of success we should aim to strive for," she says.

She feels that Al Jazeera, (both Arabic and English) is "quite amazing."

Speaking about the Her Say programme, Aida feels there is nothing like it in other English language channels in the region. "It's the first of its kind and it is doing great. Whatever shows that will come up will derive aspects from our show."

Interesting topic

In season one, each one of the four women, selected a topic they were most interested in and did a lot of research on it and talked about the subject on the show.

"In Season two, the format has been changed. Now, in every episode one presenter heads and leads the entire show, with each one of us contributing. It is consistent and shows our personalities more."

Aida says she feels that way people can connect with the presenters more, if they talk about their lives and how they individually feel about a subject. "It makes it more human".

Aida believes media here does not cater to the right audience. "The region has over 200 million youngsters. Imagine getting all those young minds together - it would be phenomenal and powerful. We should speak their language because these youngsters are tomorrow's leaders," says Aida.

She added that this is a young country which has come a long way. "The opportunities here are vast and our leaders have done everything to help us progress."

She says she first wanted to become a doctor, but she finally chose journalism, because she says she always loved the English language. "I felt I had a lot of innate skills that just needed moulding," she says.

His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, addressing the World Economic Forum meeting in 2007 said 41 per cent of the women in the Middle East are illiterate, Aida pointed out. The big problem here, she believes, is that no one takes time off to teach others. "Everyone is so busy and caring for themselves. Sharing your knowledge is the best thing you can leave behind," she adds.

Matter of 'duty'

"I feel it is my duty as an Arab and a Muslim to help educate these women, because without learning, there can be no growth and we will always be weak," she says.

Some of her favourite topics are women's issues, culture and heritage, and youth and education.

"We are now focusing on education, arts and culture. It's was long over due, but it needs the most attention, because it will always define who we are and make us more powerful in terms of how we deliver our messages to others who is not Middle Eastern."

She feels that her culture is what has made her.

"It's the closest thing to our hearts and it should be preserved in every way possible.

"For some people, it's speaking the language, for others it's the clothes, but our heritage should be relished and not diminished because of outside influence and it should be shared and appreciated by all."