United Arab Emirates Government Bias
Government
Government Type: The UAE is a constitutional federation of seven emirates (sheikhdoms). The rulers of the seven emirates constitute the Federal Supreme Council, and each Emirate’s relative political and financial influence is weighted by their number of positions in the federal government.
Head of the State: President Khalifa bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. (The ruler of Abu Dhabi, whose Emirate is the UAE’s major oil producer)
Head of the Government: Prime Minister Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum (The ruler of Dubai, which is the UAE’s commercial center, is vice president and prime minister.)
Political Party: Political parties are prohibited in the UAE. The rulers hold power based on their dynastic position and their legitimacy in a system of tribal consensus.
Press Freedom
World Press Freedom Rank: United Arab Emirates (UAE) 138/180
In 2022, Reporters Without Borders ranked the United Arab Emirates (UAE) 138/180 in their Press Freedom Index, stating that there is “No independent media, dissidents are persecuted.”
Under the UAE’s constitution, Sharia Islamic religious law is a principal source of the law, especially in matters of social law such as family issues and divorce. In contrast, other issues are handled in courts and tribunals. Criticism of the ruling families, government, religion, or friendly governments is censored in the UAE through the National Media Council (NMC). The NMC is responsible for licensing all publications, governing press content, and applying censorship on domestic and foreign publications. The UAE’s president appoints members of the council. Therefore, the ruling family and government have significant powers to censor, resulting in self-censorship among the journalists due to fear of government retribution.
Media Ownership and Government Analysis
Many media outlets, including TV, radio stations, and newspapers, are directly owned by the government through Abu Dhabi Media, such as Al Ittihad and Al Bayan newspapers. As of 2020, Abu Dhabi Media became a subsidiary of Abu Dhabi Developmental Holding Company (ADDHC). The government owns ADDHC shares, but the enterprise operates independently with financial and administrative autonomy. Other media outlets are privately held, such as English/Arabic language newspapers, Al Khaleej, and Gulf News.
Although they are privately owned, the owners are typically closely linked to the government, such as Gulf News/Al Nisr Publishing owner Obaid Humaid Al Tayer, the Minister of State for Financial Affairs of the UAE. He is also Chairman of Emirates Telecommunication Group Etisalat, which operates an Internet content filtering system. The government of UAE restricts access to some Internet sites that are claimed to be offensive or harmful such as those publishing negative comments about Islam, the government, or ruling families. Negative commenting is punishable by law; therefore, press self-censorship is common.
In conclusion, the United Arab Emirates government and ruling families have direct and indirect control over media outlets and the news. Therefore, news related to the government or ruling families tends to praise their achievements, while criticism is punished, resulting in significant government and self-censorship.
Last Updated on May 11, 2022 by Media Bias Fact Check
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