It looks like the camera ban was just a rumor since Kuwait Times have posted a retraction! [Link]
On Saturday, November 20, 2010 the Kuwait Times published an article titled ‘Multi ministry camera ban frustrates artists’ in which incorrect information was provided. The newspaper regrets failing to verify the information. The article wrongly stated that a ban on DSLR cameras was implemented by the Ministries of Information, Social Affairs and Finance. This information is false. In a follow up investigation, it was proved that no such ban has been issued. We regret this error and deeply apologize for any inconvenience caused.
We apologize for any inconvenience? After having the world mock us based on their article they apologize for the inconvenienced caused? I would really hope the government fines them or gives them some form of punishment for all the bad publicity they gave Kuwait with their article.
45 replies on “Kuwait Times post retraction”
It was on BBC news today.
Kuwait media has a long way to go but again, today’s media is driven by speculation than facts!
lol?
i mean too little too late now the whole world thinks kuwait is a backward ass country
I doubt any of the big websites while post about the retraction.
When you say “the world”, you actually do mean the world:
https://www.engadget.com/2010/11/24/kuwait-bans-dslrs-leaves-micro-four-thirds-question-hanging-in/
ya exactly, engadget, depreview, ken fucking-rockwell, its over for kuwait. People from all over are belittling the country.
Interestingly enough someone called bajs1988 is defending the country and clarifying the situation. Could it be our own BAJS? good on ya bro!!
This has news item has gone too far, almost every site has the news now, someone at Kuwait Times will have a long week ahead:
BBC
The Telegraph
CNET
Gizmodo
Geek
Engadget
Guardian
Every blog of Kuwait
Twitter
Facebook
At the very least, the idiot who reported this should be terminated from his job.
they should shut down this newspaper !
i am just glad dat it was all a HOAX !! PHEWW !!
now whn i come baq to kuwait, i can shoot all those amazing new towers dat they have built recently !! ๐
:O
FIRE THE BASTARD WHO WROTE THE REPORT THEN SLAP KUWAIT TIMES WITH A HEFTY FINE!!!!!!
I knew it was a mistake, Someone wants to troll us all and gave Kuwait a bad name ๐
He is most probably q8’i…so forget about him being fired!
Pure fail, I knew it wasn’t serious.
WTF seriously !!
They’ve lost all credibility ๐
It is my own opinion as I call it smart ( ignorant) journalism which it is diverting the public as well the world of reading the real issues that Kuwait is faced recently of human rights (good politic by the Kuwaiti newspaper), I will give some of the web links for you to think or judge!
I see it as smart way to divert from the real issue as now you are reading the news of BAN photography! ! ! DONโT forget what you read and see in the following.
https://news.meedan.net/index.php?page=events&post_id=308950
** From: https://www.arabtimesonline.com/
Maid hurt in escape bid: A housemaid sustained multiple injuries when she fell while trying to escape from the house of her sponsor in Egaila. Securitymen and paramedics rushed to the location after receiving information from a passerby, who witnessed the incident. They took the housemaid to Adan Hospital. Preliminary investigations revealed the housemaid tried to escape from her sponsor. A case was registered and the authorities will summon the sponsor for questioning.
SO which is worst:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_MCvaP8OIM&feature=player_embedded
That means i can go out and shoot freely right ?
Kuwait Times never had any credibility. The newspaper shouldn’t be fined and the reporter should be reprimanded and/or retrained.
Fining the newspaper or punishing them in anyway goes against freedom of speech and they technically didn’t slander (in this case Libel) anyone or anything and on top of all that they printed a retraction.
I am just very surprised that none of the ministries made a statement about it and that none of the other english papers did a follow-up to verify this story.
Journalists dropped the ball on this one.
Mark, you sir are helping the spread of rumors.
superfailz: Kuwait Times posted an article and I linked to it. How is that spreading a rumor?
For me to spread a rumor would mean I would post something along the lines of “a friend of a friend of mine told me that he heard dslr cameras are banned in kuwait”. Quoting a news site on the other hand is not spreading a rumor.
Get your facts straight.
but they did stop many people I know from shooting >=(
so those people what prove they have to stop us >=(
we apologize for the inconvenience? what’s worse that bad retarded news? FALSE bad retarded news… like we needed more sad news in our lives y3ni… araf
Another example of bad (irresponsible) reporting – the kind of stuff we’ve gotten used to from the English newspapers in Kuwait. (Remember the front page article proclaiming the return of legal alcohol to Kuwait?) In this instance, it seems it was a case of expat paranoia. Sensationalization of stories, wild speculation regarding government policies, crappy nonsense headlines, and extremely bad English…that’s what the English dailies in Kuwait are famous for!!!
Like I said in the previous post, that guy, ุนุจุฏุงููู ุงููุทุงู, or Abdullah Al Qattan should get fired, and his boss should get fired….
Atleast I know I can bring my DSLR on my visit next year. ๐
told you, KT credibility is zero, ๐
If the police acted on the story without an official order, then it tells you even a bigger problem in Kuwait. I really hope it didn’t happen that way !
..its probably one of the few stories KT did on its own without the standard cut & paste of stories from foreign syndicates.. and boy, did they mess up!
I said it twice and i was right. It was bullshit.
…DAMN…!
Just fire the moron ! and burn the newspaper ;p
mmm… sad ๐
why is this happening to kuwait ?
should we just sit and look at each other ? wtf is happening !?
All these days I use to go through Arab Times, even called them up and they said its just speculation nothing concrete. Kuwait Times has lost its little creditability if they had any after 1st April joke.
I wouldnt worry there are bigger reasons for Kuwait to feel embarrased
https://blog.digitalrev.com/2010/11/29/the-dslr-ban-that-never-happened/
It’s a shame!!!
What’s more disturbing is that people are ready to believe this simply because laws in Kuwait can actually be this ridiculous.
What’s more disturbing is that people are ready to believe this simply because laws in Kuwait can actually be this ridiculous.
Kuwait Times
should be:
Kuwait’s (Rumour) Time
“The newspaper regrets failing to verify the information.”
The more shocking news is that a newspaper (well, any newspaper to be honest) is printing stories without verifying them.
OK this is weird… if the ban was just a rumour and a mistake by Kuwait Times… why did they just mention the BAN of DSLR cameras in Kuwait on BBC News?
Mark, your last part about fining News papers for spreading information (whether false or true) is the most despicable thing I’ve ever heard you say. The Government controls the flow of information, aka The ministry of information. Anything can be verified or falsified by them. So how do you expect there to be free media if every article published has to be verified by the same government its accusing? And what about the fact that the government will leak false info and then fine whoever spreads it? Doesnt that undermine our democracy? I dont care what others think of my country. And what bad press? 90% of the world cant locate Kuwait on a map.
TheRex not sure why you find it despicable since it’s a normal thing. Even in the states you can sue a newspaper for slandering if they wrote false nd damaging information about you. Don’t think freedom of the press means you can say whatever you want and not be held responsible for it.
slander |หslandษr|
noun Law
the action or crime of making a false spoken statement damaging to a person’s reputation : he is suing the TV network for slander.
Kuwait and its ministries cannot be slandered, they’re not people, nor are they separate legal entities like corporations. They’re governing bodies that supposedly represent the people–or in Kuwaits case they represent the Amir and the recommendations of his prime minister.
No individual was attacked in that bit of faulty reporting per se (The Kuwait Times Article). Only ministries, and faulty reporting on governing bodies occurs very often, because those governing bodies leak rumors for a number of given reasons, but mostly its to measure what public opinion maybe like if such ban or similar bans were to take place.
If faulty reporting gets you sued, then Khalid Abduljalil owes Kuwait a huge apology and fine of up to kd100,000,000. He’s tarnished this countries reputation on so many instances, and was caught lying live on tv.
Current cases of Slandering in Kuwait include Khalid Al Fudhala vs PM Naser Al Mohammad. He accused the PM of money laundering by name. Had he said, what every other Kuwait has ever said; “our government is full of thieves” he wouldnt have been liable for anything.
ya ppl r wrong this is not about freedom !! freedom of speach is if the news paper says dslr cameras must b banned ! freedom of speach is openion !! not that ya give in a rule n say this rule has been made by higher ppl ! this is like commanding !
The dSLR law was real the government just retracted it as fast as the Kuwait Times published it. The only reason they retracted it was because of the international media they were getting. If anything you guys should thank the guy who wrote it… if it wasn’t for his quick article it might have been to late to change it.
@cajie and all the bastards who have no fucking idea what happened and are blaming the guy who wrote it. Fuck you, i hope you get fired because the responsible parties lied.
@Mark your blog is becoming the center for all haters in Kuwait to gather and fucking talk shit all day.