A German journalist friend was cycling to work when he heard someone call out his name. He stopped and smiled at a pedestrian who clearly recognised him from his TV appearances but then the man pointed accusingly and yelled out: “Lugenpresse”. My German friend was shocked, not so much by the abuse as by its roots. The word means “lying press” in English, and was used by the Nazis to intimidate journalists in the 1930s.
In Britain, media outlets, most notably the BBC, are constantly criticised on all sides for supposed bias. This month, the BBC was attacked for a lengthy interview with the multimillionaire Arron Banks, who gave millions of pounds to the Brexit campaign. Because Mr Banks is now the target of a National Crime Agency investigation into where he got his money, critics argued he should not be “allowed” on television.
Such controversies go right to the very top. In the US, president Donald Trump routinely attacks journalists as the “enemy of the people” – another phrase much-loved by the Nazis. Mr Trump’s attempts at revenge for media criticism include, in the past few days alone, withdrawing the White House press pass of CNN’s dogged correspondent Jim Acosta and attacking reporters he simply doesn’t like for asking what he terms “stupid” questions and producing “fake news”. In August this year, more than 300 US newspapers banded together to denounce Mr Trump’s inflammatory language and his attacks on journalists. Since then, matters have deteriorated further.
Journalists complaining about how hard it is to do their jobs are a bit like sailors complaining about the sea. You just have to get on with it. But sometimes the verbal attacks and controversies extend even further. The US-based Committee to Protect Journalists says 45 have already been killed worldwide this year and at least 81 were killed last year, sometimes deliberately targeted and murdered.
But beyond physical threats and bullying by people in power, there is another concern that affects not just journalists but every one of us who reads newspapers or tunes in to TV and radio news. What information sources can you trust? In the past week, I’ve attended two conferences on trust – or rather, the lack of it – and they have been both provocative and depressing.
Depressing because in Britain, the BBC and quality newspapers like The Times and The Guardian continue to be trusted for the information they provide but trust in all media outlets has declined over the past 20 years. Some tabloid newspapers are not trusted at all – although there has been little change there. They have never truly been trusted.
Meanwhile, beyond what is often referred to as the mainstream media, platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, blogs, podcasts and information websites also have profound trust problems. Sometimes it is as a result of targeted, propagandist advertising or highly partisan supposed “news” that favours a political party or fringe political idea. But on the plus side, the internet is also the home of some of the most effective campaigning journalism anywhere. In Britain, a non-partisan organisation called Open Democracy consistently breaks high-quality stories that are then followed up by more mainstream news outlets.
_______________
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_______________
Nevertheless, the trust question persists. As contributors pointed out at the Trust in Journalism conference in London, part of the problem is the “media bubble". Too often, British journalists are London-centric. They operate without fully engaging with the social, cultural, economic or even the geographic diversity of the country they live in.
In the US, the statistician Nate Silver pointed out that in top US newsrooms over the past few years, only 7 per cent of journalists identified as Republicans. It’s hardly surprising that most reporters did not predict Mr Trump's presidency and find his success baffling. Most top-flight journalists are university graduates and – whatever their class or ethnic background – graduates on the whole are more likely to be in favour of ethnic diversity and immigration, and were proven to be less likely to vote in favour of Mr Trump or leaving the EU. In the 2016 presidential election, the US president won more than 67 per cent of white voters without a university degree. Meanwhile, a YouGov survey in the UK showed 68 per cent of voters with a university degree wanted to remain in the EU, while 70 per cent of voters with only GCSE qualifications or lower voted to leave. According to the BBC, 28 out of the 30 areas in the UK with the fewest graduates backed Brexit.
One other type of unconscious bias is equally disturbing. The internet activist Baroness Martha Lane-Fox spoke to me eloquently this week of another failure of diversity. She talked of a health app that catered to men's needs but did not allow women to track one of their biggest concerns, reproductive health. The app's designers, not surprisingly, were all men.
In an age of being deluged by information, the central problem is finding information we can trust, and trusted guides to deliver it to us. Journalists are right to stand up to bullying from the White House and to expose special-interest groups and super-rich corporate donors, whose contributions blight democratic politics around the world.
But the core of trust-building must begin with journalists themselves. News professionals have to be accurate and fair but we also have to be diverse enough to engage with the entire community we serve – not just the ones we agree with or those with whom we feel most at ease.
Gavin Esler is a journalist, author and television presenter
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About Karol Nawrocki
• Supports military aid for Ukraine, unlike other eurosceptic leaders, but he will oppose its membership in western alliances.
• A nationalist, his campaign slogan was Poland First. "Let's help others, but let's take care of our own citizens first," he said on social media in April.
• Cultivates tough-guy image, posting videos of himself at shooting ranges and in boxing rings.
• Met Donald Trump at the White House and received his backing.
The specs: 2018 Audi RS5
Price, base: Dh359,200
Engine: 2.9L twin-turbo V6
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 450hp at 5,700rpm
Torque: 600Nm at 1,900rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 8.7L / 100km
How to register as a donor
1) Organ donors can register on the Hayat app, run by the Ministry of Health and Prevention
2) There are about 11,000 patients in the country in need of organ transplants
3) People must be over 21. Emiratis and residents can register.
4) The campaign uses the hashtag #donate_hope
The years Ramadan fell in May
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Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
Going grey? A stylist's advice
If you’re going to go grey, a great style, well-cared for hair (in a sleek, classy style, like a bob), and a young spirit and attitude go a long way, says Maria Dowling, founder of the Maria Dowling Salon in Dubai.
It’s easier to go grey from a lighter colour, so you may want to do that first. And this is the time to try a shorter style, she advises. Then a stylist can introduce highlights, start lightening up the roots, and let it fade out. Once it’s entirely grey, a purple shampoo will prevent yellowing.
“Get professional help – there’s no other way to go around it,” she says. “And don’t just let it grow out because that looks really bad. Put effort into it: properly condition, straighten, get regular trims, make sure it’s glossy.”
Another way to earn air miles
In addition to the Emirates and Etihad programmes, there is the Air Miles Middle East card, which offers members the ability to choose any airline, has no black-out dates and no restrictions on seat availability. Air Miles is linked up to HSBC credit cards and can also be earned through retail partners such as Spinneys, Sharaf DG and The Toy Store.
An Emirates Dubai-London round-trip ticket costs 180,000 miles on the Air Miles website. But customers earn these ‘miles’ at a much faster rate than airline miles. Adidas offers two air miles per Dh1 spent. Air Miles has partnerships with websites as well, so booking.com and agoda.com offer three miles per Dh1 spent.
“If you use your HSBC credit card when shopping at our partners, you are able to earn Air Miles twice which will mean you can get that flight reward faster and for less spend,” says Paul Lacey, the managing director for Europe, Middle East and India for Aimia, which owns and operates Air Miles Middle East.
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
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1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
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The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
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Company%20profile
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The Bio
Favourite vegetable: “I really like the taste of the beetroot, the potatoes and the eggplant we are producing.”
Holiday destination: “I like Paris very much, it’s a city very close to my heart.”
Book: “Das Kapital, by Karl Marx. I am not a communist, but there are a lot of lessons for the capitalist system, if you let it get out of control, and humanity.”
Musician: “I like very much Fairuz, the Lebanese singer, and the other is Umm Kulthum. Fairuz is for listening to in the morning, Umm Kulthum for the night.”
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
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EMERGENCY PHONE NUMBERS
Estijaba – 8001717 – number to call to request coronavirus testing
Ministry of Health and Prevention – 80011111
Dubai Health Authority – 800342 – The number to book a free video or voice consultation with a doctor or connect to a local health centre
Emirates airline – 600555555
Etihad Airways – 600555666
Ambulance – 998
Knowledge and Human Development Authority – 8005432 ext. 4 for Covid-19 queries
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The five pillars of Islam
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Brief scoreline:
Crystal Palace 2
Milivojevic 76' (pen), Van Aanholt 88'
Huddersfield Town 0
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Director: Joyce Bernal
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3/5
(Tagalog with Eng/Ar subtitles)
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Score
Third Test, Day 1
New Zealand 229-7 (90 ov)
Pakistan
New Zealand won the toss and elected to bat
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Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
2020 Oscars winners: in numbers
- Parasite – 4
- 1917– 3
- Ford v Ferrari – 2
- Joker – 2
- Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood – 2
- American Factory – 1
- Bombshell – 1
- Hair Love – 1
- Jojo Rabbit – 1
- Judy – 1
- Little Women – 1
- Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (If You're a Girl) – 1
- Marriage Story – 1
- Rocketman – 1
- The Neighbors' Window – 1
- Toy Story 4 – 1
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
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Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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Dates for the diary
To mark Bodytree’s 10th anniversary, the coming season will be filled with celebratory activities:
- September 21 Anyone interested in becoming a certified yoga instructor can sign up for a 250-hour course in Yoga Teacher Training with Jacquelene Sadek. It begins on September 21 and will take place over the course of six weekends.
- October 18 to 21 International yoga instructor, Yogi Nora, will be visiting Bodytree and offering classes.
- October 26 to November 4 International pilates instructor Courtney Miller will be on hand at the studio, offering classes.
- November 9 Bodytree is hosting a party to celebrate turning 10, and everyone is invited. Expect a day full of free classes on the grounds of the studio.
- December 11 Yogeswari, an advanced certified Jivamukti teacher, will be visiting the studio.
- February 2, 2018 Bodytree will host its 4th annual yoga market.
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TO A LAND UNKNOWN
Director: Mahdi Fleifel
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RESULTS
5pm Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 (Dirt) 1,400m
Winner AF Nashrah, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer)
5.30pm Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 (D) 1,400m
Winner Mutaqadim, Riccardo Iacopini, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami.
6pm Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner Hameem, Jose Santiago, Abdallah Al Hammadi.
6.30pm Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner AF Almomayaz, Sandro Paiva, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.
7pm Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (D) 1,800m
Winner Dalil Al Carrere, Fernando Jara, Mohamed Daggash.
7.30pm Handicap (TB) Dh70,000 (D) 1,000m
Winner Lahmoom, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer.
8pm Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (D) 1,000m
Winner Jayide Al Boraq, Bernardo Pinheiro, Khalifa Al Neyadi.
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Know your Camel lingo
The bairaq is a competition for the best herd of 50 camels, named for the banner its winner takes home
Namoos - a word of congratulations reserved for falconry competitions, camel races and camel pageants. It best translates as 'the pride of victory' - and for competitors, it is priceless
Asayel camels - sleek, short-haired hound-like racers
Majahim - chocolate-brown camels that can grow to weigh two tonnes. They were only valued for milk until camel pageantry took off in the 1990s
Millions Street - the thoroughfare where camels are led and where white 4x4s throng throughout the festival
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'Nope'
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