The culling of transparency

Interviewing people in the region is always a bit of a challenge. And the reason for this is because most of the time, they worry about what not to say.

An aspect, that is a little too popular in the region, is the presence of a public relations (PR) person when conducting interviews with top level management. This is seen more in markets where the freedom of the press hasn’t quite reached an international level.

Now while the interviewee is happy to answer any question whatsoever, the PR person in the room often jumps in with “we wouldn’t like to comment on this” or “we’d rather not talk about that.”

In a market which is becoming more transparent each day, it’s a little backward for companies to try and orchestrate the way the media works. Such efforts have never worked for long anywhere in the world and the sooner these methods of operation are abandoned, the better.

This trend has prevaded almost every sector of the construction industry and is not healthy going forward. Transparency is prime.

A company couldn’t do worse than appear to be trying to hide information from the media, which is the public eye. Contrary to popular belief, many publications understand the nature of sensitive issues and deal with them quite adequately.

I’ve been ‘told’ several times not to reveal certain information that has been said to me during the interview sessions. And sometimes I don’t. Not because I was told not to by a PR person, but because an honest reply can sometimes be misconstrued and used against people who are, most often than not, simply trying to be transparent. Lets not cull that quality.

Many changes are coming about in these times – hopefully company transparency is high up on that agenda.

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READERS' COMMENTS

Media are the censors
Posted by jon jones, Dubai, UAE on Monday 16 November 2009 at 21:16 UAE time

Unfortunately the media in the UAE is advertising driven so therefore censor themselves to prevent upsetting the companies that pay their wages through advertising. An example of this was during the property boom in the UAE we saw very little 'real' reporting on where the market was going by any reporter in the industry due to a fear that anyone possibly disagreeing with the property industries rosy outlook would have their massive amount of advertising pulled. When was the last time a journalist was expelled from the UAE? When was the last time we saw an exclusive of any sort of investigative journalism? Does real journalism exist in the UAE? After 10 years in the UAE I don't believe it does...a shame because Al JAzeera does a magnificant job being transparent which shows it is possible within the UAE and the GCC in general.

Shame on Sam
Posted by Gerhard, Dubai, Dubai on Monday 16 November 2009 at 09:28 UAE time


Regarding Sam the Sham's supercilious comments. Talk about not seeing the point ... Using the comment section to show off your own amateur journalistic prowess in the guise of slagging off the media is hardly the height of perspicacity, now is it?

The problem here is not the media, by a long shot. It's the general lack of transparency and unprofessionalism of the PR industry, combined with its withering contempt of the media in general.

The rest of the media industry in the developed world has gotten over this particular chip-on-the-shoulder, but here in the UAE hubris is ubiquitous as sand.

Rubbish
Posted by Amira Smith, Dubai, UAE on Monday 2 November 2009 at 13:36 UAE time


If the market here is becoming more "transparent by the day" then where are all the articles on Construction Week re: the debt of state-backed companies? Either they are staying tight-lipped, or CW doesn't know its job. Either way, it makes a mockery of this article.

different take
Posted by Dod, Dubai on Monday 2 November 2009 at 10:25 UAE time


I read the article more as saying that business leaders were pressured into following the government’s line. In the West business leaders and people of note can say what they and their companies want. The result is the lack of economic transparency?

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