DOHA, Qatar-It is hard
to believe now, as we prepare to wind up
our WTO publishing venture in Qatar, that
the entire project was born barely two
weeks ago. That was when the top officials
of the Dar Al Sharq Group in Doha met with
me, readily agreed to mobilize their production
and printing facilities, and set about
creating a state-of-the-art newsroom for
our international staff.
I
submit that not too many other institutions would have
done all this so quickly, so efficiently and, yes,
with so much enthusiasm. Of course, it could be argued
that the Dar Al Sharq team was acting in its own self-interest
because, after all, their country had staked its prestige
on hosting a successful conference. It could also be
said that the group's English-language daily newspaper,
The Peninsula-our partner in the venture-had a nice
opportunity to enjoy double exposure every morning
through our joint pages and their own excellent edition.
But to say these things would be to miss the real
story. This venture has been about more than seizing
an editorial opportunity at an international conference.
It has been about more than commerce. It has been
about considerably more than putting together a
daily newspaper under tight deadlines.
This venture, at its heart, is about how a hospitable
culture warmly welcomed a bunch of strangers. About
how a generous people opened their doors to these
visitors without reservations, lavished luxury
and attention on a diverse crew of Americans, Indians,
Lebanese, and South Africans. About how they put
up with the irritations, testy behavior and casual
demands that foreign journalists invariably bring
along as baggage of the trade. And our hosts asked
nothing in return. Not their names in print, nor
their photographs, no note of thanks.
To leave this remarkable country without saying
thanks to our hosts, however, would be unthinkable.
I think our venture demonstrates that, like good
will, professional journalism really knows no national
boundaries. Deadlines are deadlines, news is news,
fairness is fairness. As visitors here, we were
certainly mindful of local sensitivities, but at
no point did our editorial hosts, or our governmental
ones, suggest that we do our business differently.
Their names are mellifluous and roll like sweetmeats
off the tongue: Abbass and Helmi and Bala and Ahmed
and Ibrahim and Hassan and Abdurehman and Anand
and Ravi and Saleem and Ayman and Mahmoud and Jamal
and Osama. Great fun to be with these guys, much
good cheers and laughter, many moments of hearty
fellowship. Ayman's wife, Silvana, even brought
their seven-year-old son, Khalil, most nights to
the newsroom. His sprightly presence and inquisitive
nature gave us special moments of delight. Then
there was Tanveer, who offered endless cups of
tea-chai-and there was Khaleeq, with his technical
skills.
And on Monday evening, Abbass brought in a feast
of roast lamb and other delicacies. His team gave
us assorted gifts, but most of all the gift of
friendship.
So we leave Qatar with new friends who've lodged
themselves in our hearts. That's one of the nicest
things about international journaism in this age
of interdependence-the opportunity afforded to
us to touch and be touched by people of different
cultures.
And perhaps even more important: Journalism gives
us the chance to understand other cultures. And
notwithstanding all our differences of language,
color and creed, it all comes down to a simple
truth, at least for me: There are some very lovely
people out there who will open their hearts and
hearth to you, if you will let them.
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