Depressing condition of the Press!

The Godfather of Bahrain's bloggers Mahmood at www.mahmood.tv has once again caused a stir with his announcement that a fifth Arabic paper "maybe" launched in Bahrain soon.

The paper will be called Al Watan (The Nation) and there is no information on who the investors/publishers will be and what their direction (if there is a thing like this for papers in Bahrain) is.

My memory fails me but wasn't it months before Al Wasat was launched that it was announced that once the Arabic version is out, the English will follow in SIX months!!

How many six months have come and gone so far? Has the project been put to rest or doesn't the 30-something council of businessmen who make up the Al Wasat board have the stomach to pump in more money to kill more trees to produce more paper to publish more trash!

Forgive me if I sound too harsh. And let me make it clear that I am not talking about Al Wasat alone here when I refer to TRASH. I am referring to a general condition which has led to the deterioration of the Press movement in Bahrain.

I feel it is a major conspiracy. I don't want to call a spade and spade because to be frank, I have been too busy minding my own business to look at the Press through the magnifying glass.

But now that there is a public debate about it, I might as well use the few minutes left before lunch to show off my reasoning skills to whoever is interested in listening!

The Press, as I personally see it, is the only legitimate protector of our new-born democracy. But a weak controlled Press, controlled by money-mongering publishers isn't the way forward.

Without being crude, I want you to take a close look at what is available now (two English and four Arabic dailies!!!). I know it looks a lot for a country with a population of 600,000 - but where is the quality. I personally find more quality, in-depth, reason, logic and thought in blogs - even those written by teenagers - than in our national papers.

I used to make it a point to skim through all the papers everyday...just to remain on top of things. I have long given up. It was a pointless futile exercise. A waste of time. A waste of precious time I could use to do something more meaningful.

My heart goes out to all the people working in the Press (I pronounce it DEPRESS). I know there are people there who are geniune and who shoulder the responsibility and want to ensure a certain level of credibility.

But I also know that there are sinister forces which are happy with a weak muzzled Press, which cannot address real issues, which effect real people.

The problem here is two-fold. I will spell it out and come what may come:

1.The publishers: (hehehehe) Those jokers are not ready to stand up and ensure and protect the credibility and integrity of the written word. ALL of them. Each and every single one of them. I know, believe me. I really know.

2.The staff (!!!): A few are really into it and do it for the love of Bahrain (pure charity work). You see, the salaries are low; the working conditions tough; the humiliation and daily struggle to get sensible information from officials sorted from the junkyard are a daily nightmare! Then there are people there to warm chairs. Unprofessional twits who think they are someone just because they got their by-lines in the paper!!

Look..time running out. More on this later!!!