When paper and ink meet in the GCC

The Arabian Gulf countries witnessed the emergence of print media only at the start of the 20th century.

Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Bahrain were among the pioneers in the print media field, while Oman, Qatar, and the UAE had their first newspapers only in the 1960s and 1970s.

Saudi Arabia’s first newspaper Hijaz was set up in 1908 during the Ottoman Empire time in power.While the first daily newspaper in the UAE was Akhbar Dubai was produced in 1966, on the other hand Oman’s first newspaper Al-Watan saw the light of day only in 1970 at the time of independence. Whereas in Qatar, the first daily newspaper Al Raya was produced in 1972.


information found in: The Media Landscape in the Arab Gulf Countries by Dr. Adnan Jasim BuMetea

TimeLine

59 B.C.
Earliest recorded newspaper, Acta Diurna , is published in Rome to inform the public about important social and political happenings.

1447
German inventor Johan Gutenberg invented a mechanical way of making books. The printing press was the first example of mass book production.

1532
Freedom of Press laws were first passed in the Commonwealth of nations

1766
The world's first Freedom of the Press Act was introduced in Sweden

1790
Newspapers grew in numbers during the Revolutionary war where most of them were siding with colonies or with the crown. This period marked the beginning of the political press

1844
Samuel Morse invented the telegraph and the code used by it. The invention of the telegraph in 1844 transformed print media. Now information could be transferred within a matter of minutes, allowing for more timely, relevant reporting.

1920 - 1890
The period known as the “golden age” of print media. Media Barons William Randolph Hearst, Joseph Pulitzer, and Lord Northcliffe built huge publishing empires. These men had enormous influence within the media industry.

1994
First independent online daily that appears on the World Wide Web.