"Love means never having to say you're sorry." Those eight words, written by Erich Segal, who died recently, in the novel that inspired the 1970 film Love Story, rank with "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn" (Gone With the Wind) and "I'm gonna make him an offer he can't refuse" (The Godfather) among the most famous lines in cinema history.
The true history of apologies is more complicated. The notion that lovers never have to use it would strike most couples as nonsense.
A much stronger argument could be advanced for saying that far from being the hardest word, sorry is sometimes a rather easy one. Whether it is always used with sincerity, in the home or more generally, is another matter.
I am a firm believer in the principle that while newspapers should not be judged too harshly for the mistakes they make, they should be quick to correct them and, where necessary, apologise.
Given the pressures of news gathering, editing and production, not to mention the tendency of the "truth" of any major new event to develop, the errors are inevitable. But the interests of good journalism and publishing - as well as natural justice - are served, not compromised, by a willingness to make amends.
A few weeks ago, I described an obituary published by The Daily Telegraph of London on the musician Dave Swarbrick, who was unwell but very much alive when declared dead by, of all newspapers, the one he regularly bought. The apology, published next day, demonstrated suitable contrition. It was followed by further words of apology, in a private note from the deputy editor. Mr Swarbrick, after initially feeling annoyed, became quite philosophical about the error.
But apologies are not always taken at face value and can even make serious matters worse. In the libel courts of the UK, for example, a newspaper that prints an apology which has not been approved by the aggrieved party may find the gesture treated as an aggravating feature if legal proceedings ensue.
The New York Times and The Washington Post did a lot of public soul-searching about their coverage of events that led to military action in Iraq, with ample recognition that they could have done more to challenge the White House analysis. Their words fell short of impressing all critics; the combative American writer Matt Taibbi called them "craven, insufficient and self-serving" before getting on to the stronger aspects of his criticism.
The British journalist Michael Henderson neatly summed up the hazards of saying sorry: "You can apologise too soon and you can apologise too late, you can apologise superficially and you can apologise for some things when perhaps you should also be apologising for others. Your sincerity and your motives are always open to question, and political considerations often play a significant role."
Spoof apologies occupy a prominent place in satirical journalism. Another Daily Telegraph, in Sydney, Australia, clearly intended to cause mischief when it apologised for reporting that the 2003 touring English rugby team was boring. "This was incorrect," the paper said. "The entire country of England is boring. The Daily Telegraph wishes to apologise for this error."
But it was an Australia tour of a different kind that may have produced the classic expression of "I'm not sorry at all". In 1974, fed up with constant media attention, Frank Sinatra told the audience at his first concert of the visit, in Melbourne, that the female reporters were "hookers". When trade union solidarity threatened to disrupt his tour and even prevent his departure from Australia, the singer offered a grudgingly conciliatory statement.
Was he truly contrite? He was not. Relations between the singer and the press were not turning belatedly into a Love Story. On stage in California a few weeks later, he said: "I want to apologise to all the hookers for comparing them to newswomen."
Colin Randall is contributing editor to The National and may be contacted at crandall@thenational.ae
RESULT
Kolkata Knight Riders 169-7 (20 ovs)
Rajasthan Royals 144-4 (20 ovs)
Kolkata win by 25 runs
Next match
Sunrisers Hyderabad v Kolkata Knight Riders, Friday, 5.30pm
Famous left-handers
- Marie Curie
- Jimi Hendrix
- Leonardo Di Vinci
- David Bowie
- Paul McCartney
- Albert Einstein
- Jack the Ripper
- Barack Obama
- Helen Keller
- Joan of Arc
Coming soon
Torno Subito by Massimo Bottura
When the W Dubai – The Palm hotel opens at the end of this year, one of the highlights will be Massimo Bottura’s new restaurant, Torno Subito, which promises “to take guests on a journey back to 1960s Italy”. It is the three Michelinstarred chef’s first venture in Dubai and should be every bit as ambitious as you would expect from the man whose restaurant in Italy, Osteria Francescana, was crowned number one in this year’s list of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants.
Akira Back Dubai
Another exciting opening at the W Dubai – The Palm hotel is South Korean chef Akira Back’s new restaurant, which will continue to showcase some of the finest Asian food in the world. Back, whose Seoul restaurant, Dosa, won a Michelin star last year, describes his menu as, “an innovative Japanese cuisine prepared with a Korean accent”.
Dinner by Heston Blumenthal
The highly experimental chef, whose dishes are as much about spectacle as taste, opens his first restaurant in Dubai next year. Housed at The Royal Atlantis Resort & Residences, Dinner by Heston Blumenthal will feature contemporary twists on recipes that date back to the 1300s, including goats’ milk cheesecake. Always remember with a Blumenthal dish: nothing is quite as it seems.
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Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
What is the FNC?
The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning.
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
Bharatanatyam
A ancient classical dance from the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Intricate footwork and expressions are used to denote spiritual stories and ideas.
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
Subscribe to Beyond the Headlines
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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