Shabina S. Khatri

"Your brother made my day!"

Wed, 08 May 2013 07:26:12 -0400

“Your brother made my day!”

- Shabina Khatri upon learning that my brother’s friends in school read Doha News. (via yassermasood)

UNESCO interviewed me ahead of World Press Freedom Day about the...

Sun, 21 Apr 2013 05:31:27 -0400

UNESCO interviewed me ahead of World Press Freedom Day about the biggest challenges facing media in the next few decades.

Here’s what I had to say (briefly).

Thoughts?

"The lack of breaking news and the lack of people being able to have a conversation (in the local..."

Sun, 24 Feb 2013 17:42:09 -0500

“The lack of breaking news and the lack of people being able to have a conversation (in the local media) are why Doha News has become so popular – it fills a void.”

- Shabina S. Khatri, co-founder and executive editor of Doha News, in an article by Doha Centre for Media Freedom’s Peter Townson entitled “Doha News and the growth of online media in Qatar.”

Khatri and Omar Chatriwala - the couple behind Doha News - were recently interviewed by DCMF about the growth of online media in Qatar.

In it, they share their views on why online media sources like Doha News have become so popular in recent years.

“We know there is not a lot of real time information shared by the traditional news sources here, and that is something you can get for better or for worse on social media,” says Chatriwala. “Being able to have your opinion heard and sharing information - I think that is leading the embrace of social media and making it grow so rapidly here – its news and views.”

The pair say that there isn’t any issue they won’t cover on Doha News, providing that they can check that the story is true.

However, Chatriwala says that this can often be a difficult task :

“We just wish that people (in Qatar) understood the way media works and that denial isn’t always the best way to go about things – transparency would help,” he says. “We aren’t going to cover it unless we can journalistically back it up with multiple sources, even if they are not necessarily official sources. If we can back it up with legitimate sources then that is when we will cover something.”

Doha News has nearly 26,000 followers on Facebook and more than 20,000 on Twitter.

What do you think about the media scene here in Qatar? Does social media tell you things traditional sources do not?

Credit: Photo courtesy of Joe Grimm

(via dohanews)

Where do you live?

Mon, 04 Feb 2013 02:54:16 -0500

Haha, I do this too sometimes. Pure laziness.

Person: Where do you live?
Me: Doha
Person: Where's that?
Me (what I want to say): The host of the FIFA 2022 World Cup, the hosts of the Asian Games in 2006, they OWN the football team Barcelona, THEY OWN THEM - and now they own David Beckham, it's the richest country in the world, it has the highest obesity rate in the world, it has the highest CO2 emissions in the world, Janet Jackson is getting married here, Doha owns London, literally it owns everything there, e.g. Harrods, The Shard (Tallest building in Europe), Sainsburys, and many many more...
Me (what I actually say): It's next to Dubai.

dohanews: Doha News editor Shabina Khatri was one of the...

Sun, 09 Dec 2012 01:05:29 -0500

dohanews:

Doha News editor Shabina Khatri was one of the featured speakers at INET Qatar conference a week and a half ago. With the single-day program focusing on “The Rise of the Arab Information Society,” Shabina spoke on the role local media play in an open information society.

In the video above, Scheherazade Safla, a contributor to the local tech blog TFour.me, catches up with Shabina afterward and puts a few questions to her about online journalism in Qatar.

Other interviewees include Internet Society Qatar chairman Fadel al-Enazi and and ISOC public policy director Constance Bommelaer.

To see Shabina’s presentation, check out the full panel below - she comes in at around the 20 minute mark.

Videos from the rest of the event are also available on ISOC’s website.

Thoughts?

globalvoices: “I don’t want to hate being a girl” Photo by...

Fri, 06 Jul 2012 19:58:28 -0400

globalvoices:

“I don’t want to hate being a girl”

Photo by Maged Tawfiles, used with permission.

See more photos of a protest against sexual harassment held in Cairo.

dohanews: Driving down Al Luqta Street toward Slope Roundabout...

Mon, 05 Mar 2012 14:06:59 -0500

dohanews:

Driving down Al Luqta Street toward Slope Roundabout about a half hour ago, this Chevy/GMC Suburban was very much on fire!

Police urged cars off the road, and told us it was probably caused by an engine fault. Civil defence firefighters were on the scene in minutes.

It’s likely cleaned up by now, but if you got stuck in some unpleasant traffic, now you know why.

Credit: Photos by Omar Chatriwala

soupsoup: evangotlib: Berenstain Bears co-creator Jan...

Mon, 27 Feb 2012 14:12:01 -0500

soupsoup:

evangotlib:

Berenstain Bears co-creator Jan Berenstain dies

Jan Berenstain, who with her husband Stan created the Berenstain Bears books that have charmed preschoolers and their parents for 50 years, has died. She was 88.

Mike Berenstain says his mother suffered a severe stroke on Thursday and died Friday without regaining consciousness. She was a longtime resident of Solebury in southeastern Pennsylvania.

The Berestains’ gentle stories of Mama Bear, Papa Bear, Brother Bear and Sister Bear address childhood subjects like coping with new siblings, summer camp and peer pressure.

Stan and Jan Berenstain, both Philadelphia natives, were 18 when they met on their first day at art school in 1941. Stan Berenstain died in 2005.

The first Berenstain Bears book, “The Big Honey Hunt,” was published in 1962. More than 300 titles have been released in 23 languages.

I love these books. Sad.

Part of my childhood has died

dohanews: As an artist in Saudi Arabia, Manal AlDowayan has...

Sat, 25 Feb 2012 14:34:55 -0500

dohanews:

As an artist in Saudi Arabia, Manal AlDowayan has never had the privilege of government endowments or a robust art industry to support her.

“Our art scene is not funded by the government in the sense of, you don’t have museums, and galleries are all privately owned,” AlDowayan says. “Nobody is asking anybody to do this, but it’s just happening naturally.”

As a woman in the kingdom, she has witnessed cycles of discrimination and conservatism seeking to keep her gender out of the public sphere; some men in the kingdom now even find mentioning a wife’s or mother’s name publicly to be a source of shame.

But she’s also witnessed a public discourse on the role women should hold in society, with King Abdullah and other vocal members of society (herself included) championing the female cause.

That push and pull in society, as well as her own experiences growing up in the kingdom, have been a great source of inspiration for AlDowayan’s works. And it’s in that space that she seeks to rewrite the Saudi female narrative.

Although she says her artwork has never been censored in the kingdom, and she’s won the support of the local press, it’s still an uphill battle to change perceptions of who and what women should be in a modern Saudi society.

“There’s a push from different sides. Of course, there’s a stronger push against a lot of change. And change is very scary for a lot of people. But change will happen,” she says.

A solo exhibition of her works is on at Katara Galleries (Building 19) for another week, highlighting works she’s developed over the last decade.

Credit: Photos by Omar Chatriwala, artwork by Manal AlDowayan

dohanews: The third Doha Taste and Fun Festival opened to the...

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 05:11:17 -0500

dohanews:

The third Doha Taste and Fun Festival opened to the public at the Doha Exhibition Center yesterday evening, offering trimmed-down portions of food from restaurants and hotels across Qatar for prices between 5-15 QAR.

The family-friendly food festival runs through February 11, opening at 12pm today and Saturday, and starting an hour later at 1pm on Friday.

Festivities draw to a close nightly at 10:30pm, and include cooking demonstrations at the Japanese Embassy booth, a play area for kids, and a stage that will feature musical performances.

Cuisines on offer range from Indian, Greek, Mexican, American and Turkish. Most major hotels in Doha are participating, featuring bite-size portions from their high-end restaurants. And there’s even a few restaurants making the trek from the Industrial Area.

Have you been, or are you going? What do you think of this third round?

Credit: Photos by Omar Chatriwala

yassermk86: Hassan Al Thawadi (Secretary General, Qatar 2022)...

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 08:04:50 -0500

yassermk86:

Hassan Al Thawadi (Secretary General, Qatar 2022) speaks at Dean’s Lecture Series #qatar (Taken with Instagram at Carnegie Mellon Qatar)

Soup: Nurse Reveals Top 5 Regrets of the Dying

Sat, 31 Dec 2011 13:49:53 -0500

Soup: Nurse Reveals Top 5 Regrets of the Dying:

kellyoxford:

From Arise India Forum:

“For many years I worked in palliative care. My patients were those who had gone home to die. Some incredibly special times were shared. I was with them for the last three to twelve weeks of their lives

People grow a lot when they are faced with…

dohanews: The State Mosque of Qatar, now officially...

Sat, 17 Dec 2011 13:56:45 -0500

dohanews:

The State Mosque of Qatar, now officially called Sheikh Muhammad Ibn Abdul Wahhab Mosque, opened for Friday prayer for the first time today, ahead of National Day celebrations on Sunday.

Security was tight, with police directing traffic & parking, metal detectors in front of the entrances, and numerous plainclothes officers mingled among the congregants.

After prayer, a large crowd thronged the center of the mosque as the prominent sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi made his exit. The Emir of Qatar was reported to be in attendance, but I didn’t catch a glimpse of him.

Guards at the mosque told me that it would be closed for the rest of the day, as well as on Saturday, but would be open to the public - Muslims and non-Muslims alike - as of Sunday (National Day).

And yes, there is a dedicated space for women to pray.

Credit: All photos by Omar Chatriwala

thedailywhat: One Of These Things Is Not Like The Others of the...

Fri, 25 Nov 2011 23:36:09 -0500

thedailywhat:

One Of These Things Is Not Like The Others of the Day: Hint: It’s the one with the cover story about how it’s completely okay, if not beneficial, to feel unease about future uncertainties, as opposed to, say, riot in the streets until sh*t gets done.

Sadly, this is a fairly common occurrence.

[@ggreenwald.]

An outpouring of reactions over pork in Qatar!

Wed, 23 Nov 2011 23:35:21 -0500

dohanews:

Perhaps the most talked about news in Qatar during the last 24 hours has been that pork is now being sold in the country, albeit still under heavy restriction.

We’ve curated some of that discussion here, via Storify:

What do you really think of Doha News?

Fri, 07 Oct 2011 13:40:56 -0400

dohanews:

Please help us improve our offerings by answering this brief survey. It should take about 3-5 minutes to complete.

Thank you!

publicradiointernational: The Takeaway: Five years after the...

Tue, 04 Oct 2011 10:08:35 -0400

publicradiointernational:

The Takeaway: Five years after the show went off the air, producers and stars of “Arrested Development” have confirmed: The Bluth family is making a comeback. Rumors have been flying about the show’s return since it was canceled. On Sunday, producer Mitchell Hurwitz joined the cast for a reunion and made a surprise announcement.

He said they are going to “not only bring the characters back in a movie,” Dave Itzkoff of The New York Times told PRI’s The Takeaway. ”He wants to do a sort of preliminary, limited-run TV series of about 9 or 10 episodes that would reintroduce all the characters and show where they’ve been, and then that would lead into the movie.”

dohanews: West Bay glowing & Kempinsky and the moon, by...

Sun, 02 Oct 2011 19:13:34 -0400

dohanews:

West Bay glowing & Kempinsky and the moon, by Omar Chatriwala and contributed to the Doha News Flickr group.

The Kempinsky residences & suites stands tall, as other buildings continue to rise in the Dafna/Diplomatic area of Doha, Qatar.

Add your photo to the Doha News photo pool!

dohanews: David Frost, the veteran British broadcaster who...

Sun, 25 Sep 2011 11:01:52 -0400

dohanews:

David Frost, the veteran British broadcaster who hosts a weekly show on Al Jazeera, sat down with Hamad bin Jassim Al Thani, Qatar’s combined Prime Minister and Foreign Minister. And Frost managed to put to him a number of questions that many would be keen to hear the answers to.

Here are some quick highlights, but click play above to watch the full 20-minute interview.

ON PALESTINE

Regarding the Palestinian bid for recognition at the United Nations in New York, Al Thani expressed support for the Palestinians and the peace process, but said he was not optimistic:

“I am worried that what we are seeing now - the movement, trying to have ideas and things - it’s because the Palestinians want to go to the Security Council or to the General Assembly. I want to see the same momentum after all this show finish[es].”

“All of us know the solution, we just need somebody to implement it.”

TALIBAN IN QATAR

Frost asks the prime minister about reports that the Taliban, with approval from the United states, will open a political office in Qatar later this year.

His response, while lacking any detail or depth, is not a denial:

“That’s something … yeah, premature, it’s not complete.”

For the record, the Taliban themselves say they don’t know anything about it.

LIBYA INTERVENTION

Asked why Qatar chose to intervene so pointedly in Libya, Al Thani says:

“When you see the tanks and the planes killing people, and [they don’t] differentiate between somebody carrying a gun or somebody playing in kindergarten … or an old man or a hospital, you cannot sit and not do anything.”

And how much did this intervention cost?

“In terms of what, in terms of money? It’s a lot, it cost us a lot. Still we don’t know what is the figure, but…if you see the capacity of Qatar, and how much we invested in that, it’s a lot.”

THE “ARAB SPRING”

Discussing the uprisings across the region, Al Thani says:

“I think what we see in the Middle East - it’s not bad. I think it’s good. Let the people say what they want. Let the people feel that they are free to choose their leadership.”

“Also, I’m happy that the leadership in the region, in all the region, in the Middle East - now they can listen better to their people, they know that they have to do the right things. They have to reflect what the people want, not what they want.

DEMOCRACY IN QATAR

Asked what steps Qatar is taking toward democracy, the prime minister said it was something “working progressively on”.

“There is a plan and we are doing the plan… You know the free press, and you know the headache from the free press we have.”

(Note: Qatar ranks in the last third of Reports Without Borders’ Press Freedom Index with “noticeable problems”, while Freedom House classifies the media environment in the country as “Not Free”.)

“We have municipality elections and also the parliament, I’m sure - that’s not for me to say, but there is a plan being done to go forward to put Qatar in the right place, and also to fullfill what the people of Qatar want.”

SYRIA

“I feel very sorry, we have very close relations with the Syrians and with the government of Syria. And I felt that this problem is growing more and more. It could [have been] solved easier in the beginning.”

MANCHESTER UNITED

Frost brings up recent rumors that Qatar is seeking to buy Manchester United Football Club.

Says Al Thani:

“That’s not true.”

He continues: “I’m not specialized in the clubs, as you know. I’m not fond of football (I know this is not popular). But that’s not true and we announced that a few weeks ago that we are not negotiating.”

FUTURE OF QATAR

Frost asks the prime minister what he hopes to see in Qatar, in his lifetime.

“I’m working now 30 years - I tell myself that I am at the end of my career,” Al Thani responds to the broadcaster 20 years his senior. ”I believe it’s the time the other generation take over while we are strong.”

“I would like to see Qatar not only [with] prosperity for the people, but I would like that every Qatar work and earn [a] good amount of money; but he has to work.

“I would like to see our education, our health system to be the best. [And] I would like to see that Qatar have enough income without the oil and gas.”

Video: Frost Over the World - Palestine’s reality (by AlJazeeraEnglish)

dohanews: Window washing by Omar Chatriwala (that’s me). You...

Fri, 23 Sep 2011 22:44:30 -0400

dohanews:

Window washing by Omar Chatriwala (that’s me).

You have to give this fellow credit for rappelling down a 44 floor building amid sun and sand in West Bay to make a living.

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