DUBAI (Middle East Eye) – The Emirati news website al-Roeya has sacked dozens of editors and journalists after the publication of an article highlighting the economic hardships and the cost of living for low-income residents of the UAE.
Raseef22, a Lebanese news website that revealed the mass sacking, reported that employees, journalists and senior editors were fired, and some of them questioned, before al-Roeya’s main online sections were shut down last week.
According to journalists who spoke with Raseef22, Emirati officials were angered by a report published in June in al-Roeya exploring the economic effects of the Ukraine conflict on the global market and the increased fuel prices and cost of living crisis affecting low-income residents of the UAE.
A few hours after publishing the report, journalists and editors arrived at al-Roeya offices in Dubai Media City to find somber managers informing them that they were fired.
Al-Roeya is one of the UAE’s established newspapers owned by the Abu Dhabi-based International Media Investments (IMI) company. In April, al-Roeya ended its printed edition to cut down costs, keeping its online websites which covered political, cultural and business topics.
Mustafa al-Zarooni, the Emirati editor-in-chief of al-Roeya, told journalists and editors in a meeting that the website’s main sections would be shut down and the site would be dedicated to business news around the world.
A journalist at al-Roeya told Raseef22 that almost 60 employees had lost their jobs, and three people are currently running the news website.
“In the meeting, it was mentioned that the institution will be permanently closed due to a report that should not have been published. More than 60 employees will pay the price and lose their jobs and sit at their home looking for a new opportunity elsewhere,” the journalist told Raseef22.
The report published by al-Roeya in June was taken down after it was shared widely on social media. It interviewed residents of the UAE who said that they had driven to nearby Oman to fill their vehicle’s tanks with fuel as it was cheaper.
Journalists who spoke to Rasees22 and the Associated Press said that these interviews brought the ire of officials.