Ask the newsroom
Creating differences?
Gulf News needs to be more reasonable and responsible while putting up articles that incite hatred amongst people (“Muslim man beaten to death in India on suspicion of smuggling cows”, Gulf News, July 21). The impression such articles create is: Muslims in India are constantly intimidated, cornered and attacked, with all-round support. Allow me to enlighten you — the legal system in India is as bad for other religions as it is for Muslims. In fact, in a population of 1.5 billion people, rest assured that every day, in many parts of the country, there are a number of people who die due to lynching, mob justice or through murder. Gulf News is foolishly reporting, by showcasing that only a particular religion is being targeted. This is completely wrong and irrational. By posting such news, the newspaper seems to be aligning
itself with many other leftist news channels in India, working against the present government. By doing so, the newspaper is not only creating differences between people from the two religions, but also maligning a country’s image. There exist a lot of negative truths about India and Gulf News is free to post about such issues.
From Mr Sapan Singh UAE
Facebook comment
Thank you for your feedback. It is our role to report the news and that includes events, issues, which are both positive and negative. We could not ignore this news, especially as it has a political impact. Not reporting something will not change what is happening and make things go away. In fact, strong reader reaction might force people to evaluate their actions. A newspaper’s prerogative is to hold up a mirror to society and publish content relevant to its readership. Asking questions is the primary role of the Fourth Estate. At no point has there been an agenda in the newspaper’s coverage. We continue to follow accurate and accountable journalism. Gulf News I
Use common sense
Why does Gulf News publish pro-Pakistan news all the time? Is the newspaper’s whole team from Pakistan? The newspaper seems to publish ridiculous news from India, and now, is writing news reports from Pakistan elections, where a leader is saying that Indians will come to Wagah border and call Pakistanis their master (“Shehbaz Sharif vows to make Pakistan better than India”, Gulf News, July 22). Don’t you guys use common sense when publishing news?
From Mr Adarsh Arjunan
Thank you for your feedback. At Gulf News, we try to report incidents from around the world, including India and Pakistan, without bias and as they happen on the ground. It, therefore, means that sometimes some news will be uncomfortable to some readers. There is no propaganda involved against a particular country, or any intent of malice, just the stating of news as it occurred. Gulf News has not taken a political stand for or against any country. It remains politically neutral. However, that does not mean that it refrains from reporting news. Depending on who reads it, a news story could be perceived as positive or negative.
Gulf News
■ Editor’s note: Would you like to raise a query or concern with the newspaper? Is there an issue that you believe needs to be addressed? Something the paper is not doing right or not effectively enough. Write to us at readers@gulfnews.com