Grayling Blog

Clarity in a fog of white noise

Posted on 5.05.2010 by Guy Taylor

Lord Chadlington will be addressing the Middle East PR Association symposium.

In an attempt to explore whether communication has improved in the Arabian Gulf area as a consequence of nearly two years of economic turmoil, the Middle East PR Association is undertaking a comprehensive survey to verify and validate current thinking The results of this exercise will be revealed at a symposium set for 20 May in Dubai with a keynote address provided by Lord Chadlington.

Peter will aim to use his many years of international experience to offer a balanced and ambassadorial view on how our region is doing compared to other parts of the communications world.

Does it suffer unduly from a poor press and if so what can be done about it? These are some of the questions at issue, but the bigger picture revolves around the credibility of the media, government and business in general to gain the trust of society at large. Have we got it right and do our audiences believe anything that’s transmitted any more?

There are those locally that, no matter what is said or done, believe that the western media will continue its crusade against this part of the world. Bourne out of jealously, cultural misunderstanding or political ambition, the foreign media has had a field day in recent months. This has fueled Arab sceptics who in turn become increasingly mistrustful and reluctant to engage with the press.

Arguably limited experience, poor counsel and a fear of failure have contributed towards a downward spiral in the quality of output. More needs to be done, but unless we draw a line in the sand and benchmark where we’re at, then the fog of white noise will continue to obscure reality.