The performance, or rather non-performance, of Qatar's media is under scrutiny following yesterday's fatal fire at Villagio which resulted in 19 deaths. For the entire day yesterday there was NOTHING on the radio/tv in either English or Arabic and no mention of the fire on Doha newspaper websites. There seemed to be a complete news blackout while half of Doha could see the smoke and the other half could smell it. The only people filming at the scene seemed to be shoppers or passers-by who just happened to be there as the situation unfolded. This is not voyeurism, its informing people so they know what is happening. Only the privately run DohaNews website and the social networks dared to carry the story and then did a good job of trying to keep readers informed throughout the day. Today even some within the media community are questioning their own performance.
The traditional media, and that includes Al Jazeera which is based in Doha, should collectively hang their heads in shame.
