Ahmed al-Sulaiti (right) speaks as Reverend Makarios, Jan Keulen (second from left) Younis Abdul Rahman Al Arag (left) look on. Picture: Shemeer Rasheed
By Ramesh Mathew/Staff Reporter

An appeal was made yesterday to journalists working in the country to give more coverage to issues which have a direct bearing on the lives of residents, and to give special attention to issues that interest Qataris, at a meeting held under the aegis of the Doha International Center for Inter-Faith Dialogue (DICID).
Some speakers wondered how events in other parts of the Arab region get maximum exposure in some newspapers in Qatar even as events being held right under their noses in Doha are overlooked by many journalists.
Senior Qatari journalist and editor of a prominent Arabic daily Ahmed al-Sulaiti said:  “The media has a major role in enhancing dialogue between the local society and expatriates. In order to ensure that such dialogue takes place journalists should report what is happening in the local community and also what most locals and other residents feel are important to their interests. You are absolutely free to report anything but one should realise that what he or she writes should be appealing and interesting to the paper’s readers.”
“Expatriates are wholly free to discuss the political happenings anywhere in the world, including their own country, but my earnest request to them is to avoid discussing locally sensitive issues in public,” he said.
The speaker disagreed with a local youngster who complained that all newspapers published in the country neglected issues relevant to Qataris. He said his newspaper provided adequate space for events occurring in the country.
Replying to a complaint from another local youth in the audience, al-Sulaiti said: “When a journalist reports on the difficulty experienced by commoners using Karwa taxis or buses is it fair for him to narrate the experiences of someone who has never used either a taxi or bus in his life.”
Al-Sulaiti said this country belongs as much to expatriates as it does to Qataris. The editor also reminded some youngsters of the contribution made by thousands of expatriates over the years to build the nation, along with nationals.
The editor appealed to expatriate journalists  to pave the way for a dialogue with locals through coverage of events that the latter considered important. 
Director of Doha Center for Media Freedom Jan Keulen asserted that journalism is a challenging job that required extraordinary skills, competency and an analytical mind. While supporting the call for more local news,  he said local events did not necessarily mean those involving only locals but those happenings which are directly linked to the lives of every citizen in this country.
Presenter at QF radio Younis Abdul Rahman also spoke at the session, chaired by Archimandrite Makarios Mavrogiannakis of Doha’s Greek Orthodox community.