Alwatan

Infobox Newspaper
name =


caption =
type = Daily newspaper
format = Broadsheet
foundation = 1971
ceased publication =
price =
owners = Several business groups
political position =
publisher =
editor =
circulation =
headquarters = Oman
ISSN =
website = [http://www.alwatan.com/ alwatan.com]
price =

"Alwatan" ( _ar. الوطن, _en. The Homeland) is a daily Arabic newspaper published in Oman and distributed internationally. It was founded in 1971 and was first published on January 28 1971. It is the first and oldest Omani newspaper.cite web | url =http://www.oman-tv.gov.om/tvara/his_local_media.asp | title =History of Journalism in Oman| accessdate =2007-04-07 | publisher =Oman TV |language=Arabic] cite web | url =http://www.alwatan.com/graphics/2005/01Jan/17.1/aboutus.html | title =Alwatan history| accessdate =2007-04-07 | publisher =Alwatan |language=Arabic] "Alwatan" has a daily circulation of 40,000.cite web | url =http://www.adl.org/Israel/arab_media_report/arab_newspapers.asp | title =The Arab Media’s War of Incitement| accessdate =2007-04-07 | publisher =Anti-Defamation League]

History

"Alwatan" was founded in 1971 to be the first Omani newspaper. It was first published on January 28, 1971. Alwatan was planned to be a daily newspaper but due to problems in printing it was published on a weekly basis in Beirut, Lebanon. The newspaper's editor-in-chief at the time was Nasr Ibn Mohammed al-Taei. It ceased its publication and moved to Cairo, Egypt after the Lebanese Civil War; it later moved to Kuwait City, Kuwait.

When Mohammed Ibn Suleiman al-Taei became editor-in-chief, he immediately started planning to expand and make "Alwatan" a daily newspaper. He employed new employees and journalists, and changed the newspaper's display and organization. On January 28, 1984, "Alwatan" became a daily newspaper. In August 1988, "Alwatan" founded their own publishing establishment in Oman, where the newspaper is still being published. "Alwatan" published its first issue from Oman on August 26, 1988.

In 1996, "Alwatan" switched to the Broadsheet format and set its slogan. On July 18, 1997, "Alwatan" launched its Internet website and service, providing readers access to its articles. In 1999, "Alwatan" changed to glossy paper, and became the first newspaper to use this type of paper in Oman. In 2001, "Alwatan" increased the number of the newspaper's pages and added new sections to celebrate the newspaper's 30^th anniversary.

"Alwatan" has been credited with the improvement of Omani arts and sports and is considered the only reliable source for the history of sports in Oman. "Alwatan" has deployed journalists in the capital cities of the all the major Arab and Western countries. As of 2007, "Alwatan" has 187 employees and is the best-selling newspaper in Oman.

ections

The "Alwatan" newspaper currently has 20 pages. It started out with 12 pages, and the number of pages has increased steadily until it reached 20 in 2001. Below is information on the content of every page.cite web | url =http://www.squ.edu.om/stu/infsoc/alealam.html | title =Omani media| accessdate =2007-04-13 | publisher =Sultan Qaboos University magazine|language=Arabic]
*Page 1 is the front page of the newspaper and includes the main news headlines of the day, both local and international.
*Pages 2 to 4 include news stories on Oman, major local news and current affairs. Page 4 also includes weather forecasts.
*Pages 5 and 6 include business news.
*Pages 7 to 10 include sports news, both local and international.
*Pages 11 and 12 are considered to be the varieties sections. Page 11's content differs from day to day; for example it is usual that on Saturdays readers' poems are posted, while on Thursdays the page includes information on a touristic location. Readers' opinions and advertisements are published on page 12.
*Page 13 usually includes literature-related columns. Page 14 includes celebrity, television and cinema news.
*Pages 15 to 16 comprise the "Opinions" section and contain editorials on current affairs and Omani and international politics. It also includes a daily caricature. On some days, page 16 will include advertisements.
*Pages 17 to 19 contain local and international news. The pages also contains regular columns written by well-known Arab writers.
*Page 20 includes light and trivial news.

Management

"Alwatan"'s editor-in-chief manages the policy of the newspaper and supervises its preparation. He is helped by a managing editor and a deputy managing editor. The newspaper's departments include:
*Local news department
*Political news department
*Sports news department
*Features department
*Secretary of editing
*Revision department
*Production department
*Archiving department
*Photography department

ee also

* List of Arab newspapers

Notes and references

Published sources

*cite book |last=aut|Al-Abd |first=aut|Atef |title=دراسات في الإعلام العماني - Studies in the Omani Media |year=1995|publisher=Dar al-Fikr al-Arabi
*cite book |last=aut|Farid |first=aut|Samir |title=وسائل وأساليب الاتصال في سلطنة عمان - Means and Methods of Communication in the Sultanate of Oman|year=1989 |publisher=Angelo Egyptian Library

External links

* [http://www.alwatan.com Official site]