Al Yaum (newspaper)

Al Yaum (in Arabic اليوم meaning The Day Today in Arabic)[3] is a Dammam-based, supposedly pro-government Arabic daily newspaper published in Saudi Arabia.[4][5]

Al Yaum
اليوم
TypeDaily
FormatBroadsheet
Owner(s)Dar Al Yaum for Press, Printing and Publishing
PublisherDar Al Yaum for Press, Printing and Publishing
Editor-in-chiefSulaiman Aba Hussain [1]
Founded1965 (1965)
Political alignmentPro-government
LanguageArabic
HeadquartersDammam
Circulation135.000 (2007)[2]
OCLC number42316367
WebsiteAl Yaum

History and ownership

Al Yaum was first published in Dammam in 1965.[6][7] Initially, it was a weekly eight-page magazine. Its frequency and size improved over time, becoming a daily newspaper in 1978.[4] The owner and publisher of the paper is Dar Al Yaum Organization for Printing and Publishing.[2][8] The headquarters of Al Yaum is in Dammam.[9]

Hamid Ghuyarfi was the editor-in-chief of Al Yaum until 1981 when he was dismissed due to his criticism against Saudi government.[10] One of the other former editor-in-chiefs was Othman Al Omeir who currently owns liberal Arabic news portal Elaph.[11] Muhammad Abdallah Al Wail also served as the editor-in-chief of the paper.[6]

The daily was the first in the Middle East and the second in the world to get IFRA ISO certificate, the first in the Middle East to receive the IFRA Asia Award for best in print and the first in the Middle East to become the WAN-IFRA Star Club member and the Color Quality Club member.[9]

Content and format

The paper mostly covers news in relation to Dammam and nearby regions.[6] It also covers regional news, sports events, and social issues that are of interest to the readers in Saudi Arabia and Arab states of the Persian Gulf.[12] The paper is published in broadsheet format with 28 colour and black and white pages.[7]

Distribution and circulation

Although the paper focuses on the local news and mainly serves the Eastern province,[13] it is distributed across the Persian Gulf region.[12] It is the leading newspaper in the Eastern province.[9][14]

The estimated 2003 circulation of Al Yaum was 80,000 copies.[3][15] Its 2007 circulation was 135,000 copies.[2]

Bans and arrests

Although the daily is described as pro-government it has experienced suspensions and arrest of its correspondents. In 1982, one of its reporters was detained for two years.[10] The same year literary supplement of the paper was suspended by Saudi government.[10]

See also

List of newspapers in Saudi Arabia

References
  1. Al Youm
  2. "Saudi Arabia. Media Market Description" (PDF). World Association of Newspapers. 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 September 2013. Retrieved 30 May 2012.
  3. David E. Long (2005). Culture and customs of Saudi Arabia. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 84. Retrieved 2 June 2012. Al-Bilad newspaper.
  4. "The press in Saudi Arabia". BBC News. 13 December 2006. Retrieved 30 May 2012.
  5. "Saudi Arabia. Newspapers and Magazines Online". World Press. Retrieved 30 May 2012.
  6. "Arab Media Review" (PDF). Anti-Defamation League. July–December 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 January 2012. Retrieved 16 May 2012.
  7. Anthony Shoult (2006). Doing Business with Saudi Arabia. GMB Publishing Ltd. p. 277. ISBN 978-1-905050-67-3.
  8. "Dar Al Youm for Press, Printing and Publication". AME INFO. Archived from the original on 18 September 2013. Retrieved 30 May 2012.
  9. "Al Yaum in Saudi Arabia books KBA Continent extension". WAN IFRA. 6 May 2013. Retrieved 21 September 2013.
  10. Saïd K. Aburish (2005). The Rise, Corruption and Coming Fall of the House of Saud: With an Updated Preface. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 214. ISBN 978-0-7475-7874-1.
  11. Morris, Sam (17 January 2012). "New Nomination List for 2012 Media Awards". The Next Century Foundation. Archived from the original on 31 May 2012. Retrieved 2 June 2012.
  12. "Al Yaum Newspaper Saudi Arabia". Knowledge View. Archived from the original on 16 July 2012. Retrieved 30 May 2012.
  13. Tom Pierre Najem; Martin Hetherington, ed. (2003). Good Governance in the Middle East Oil Monarchies. New York: Routledge Courzon. p. 114. Retrieved 30 August 2013.  – via Questia (subscription required)
  14. "Al-Yaum in Saudi Arabia books KBA Continent extension". Koenig and Bauer Group. Retrieved 14 January 2014.
  15. William A. Rugh (2004). Arab Mass Media: Newspapers, Radio, and Television in Arab Politics. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 61. ISBN 978-0-275-98212-6.
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