Al Madina (newspaper)

Al Madina is an Arabic language newspaper published in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The paper is one of the oldest newspapers published in the country.[1][2]

This article is about Saudi daily newspaper published in Jeddah. For other uses, see Medina (disambiguation).

Al Madina
TypeDaily newspaper
Owner(s)Al Madina Establishment for Press and Publishing
Founder(s)Al Madina Establishment for Press and Publishing
PublisherAl Madina Establishment for Press and Publishing
Editor-in-chiefFahd Al Aqran
Founded8 April 1937 (1937-04-08)
LanguageArabic
HeadquartersJeddah
Circulation185,000 (2016)
Websitewww.al-madina.com

History

Al Madina had been founded — as a weekly publication, under the name of Al Madinah al Manawarah (in English, Madinah the Radiant) by Hisham Hafiz's uncles, Othman and Ali Hafiz, [3] as a weekly newspaper[4] on 8 April 1937.[5] Later, it became semi-weekly.

Its publication was ceased during World War II, and resumed following the war,[3][6] renamed as Al Madinah in 1958,[3][7] and its headquarters was moved to Jeddah in the early 1960s,[5] and as of the 21st century (under the title Al Madina) function in Jeddah, Riyadh and Dammam.[5] It has offices in Dubai and Cairo, in addition to 18 branches inside Saudi Arabia.[8]

At the beginning of the 2000s Al Madina had a circulation of 46,370 copies;[9] in 2001, its circulation was 60,000 copies.[10] The estimated circulation of the paper in 2003 was 46,000 copies,[2] and as of 2007, increased to 60,000 copies.[1]

Political approach and contents

Al Madina is pro-government, and one of the most well-known such Saudi newspapers.[11] Every issue begins with the invocation of the name of the God.[7]

Although Al Madina is considered to be a pro-government paper, it publishes critical coverage of non-political local news, such as social, health and educational issues. Al Madina has relatively critical columnists, despite restraint in reporting or commenting on national politics.[12] Some modernist or reformist columns have been published in Al Madina. For instance, writing for the editors in April 2010, Basma bint Saud said she could not find Qur'anic, or other Islamic historical, basis for a state institution undertaking to promote virtue and prevent vice; she further argued that the arrests and beatings by religious policemen contribute to incorrect impressions about Islam.[13]

On 2 August 2017 the newspaper criticized many Arab states, said to maintain relations with Israel but deny it, [although] these ties can hardly be denied given the existence of embassies, and of mutual visits, in full view.
It went on to call on Arab nations to end their hypocrisy, in which they "maintain relations" with Israel but "don’t want anybody to know about them".[14][15]

Prominent columnists

Hisham Hafiz and Khaled Almaeena formerly were the chief editors. Mohammad Ali Hafiz also served in the post between 1961 and 1964.[16] As of 2012 Fahd Al Aqran was the editor-in-chief.[17] The general manager of Al Arabiya TV, Abdulrahman Al Rashed is one of the paper's senior columnists.[18]

Status and awards

The publishing house Al Madina Press that is the owner and publisher of the paper is one of the most prominent companies in Saudi Arabia.[1][8] Al Madinah was awarded two major prizes in Saudi Arabia in 2010: Makkah Prize of Distinction and Asir Prize "Al Muftaha".[19]

See also

References
  1. "Saudi Arabia. Media market description" (PDF). World Association of Newspapers. 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 September 2013. Retrieved 16 May 2012.
  2. William A. Rugh (2004). Arab Mass Media: Newspapers, Radio, and Television in Arab Politics. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 59. ISBN 978-0-275-98212-6.
  3. David E. Long (2005). Culture and customs of Saudi Arabia. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 84.
  4. Aarti Nagraj (26 March 2013). "Revealed: 10 Oldest Newspapers in the GCC". Gulf Business. Retrieved 14 January 2014.
  5. "Company History". Almadina Printing and Publishing Company. Retrieved 3 June 2012.
  6. Abdulrahman S. Shobaili (1971). "An historical and analytical study of broadcasting and press in Saudi Arabia" (PDF). Ohio State University. Retrieved 19 May 2012.
  7. William Ochsenwald (August 1981). "Saudi Arabia and The Islamic Revival" (PDF). International Journal of Middle East Studies. 13 (3): 280.
  8. Hisham Zahid (May 2006). "ProCurve Networking by HP is good news for prominent Saudi media group" (PDF). ProCurve Networking. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 January 2014. Retrieved 14 January 2014.
  9. "Saudi Arabia Press". Press Reference. Retrieved 27 September 2013.
  10. "World Press Trends" (PDF). World Association of Newspapers. Paris. 2004. Retrieved 8 February 2015.
  11. "The Saudi Press: Profiles of individual papers". Wikileaks. Retrieved 8 April 2012.
  12. "Saudi Arabia". Arab Press Network. Archived from the original on 28 May 2012. Retrieved 1 May 2012.
  13. "Saudi Arabia. Looser Rein, Uncertain Gain" (PDF). Human Rights Watch. 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 September 2013. Retrieved 20 April 2012.
  14. "Saudi Columnist Slams Arab States' Hypocrisy on Israel Ties". Algemeiner.com.
  15. "Saudi Writer: Arab States Should Stop Hiding Their Relations With Israel". MEMRI.
  16. Who's Who in the Arab World 2007-2008. Walter de Gruyter and Publitec Publications. 2007. p. 355. ISBN 978-3-11-093004-7.
  17. Amal Baqzai (29 March 2012). "The trouble with official spokespersons in Saudi Arabia". Asharq Alawsat. Archived from the original on 10 May 2012. Retrieved 1 May 2012.
  18. "Speakers". International Public Relations Association - Gulf Chapter (IPRA-GC). 2012. Archived from the original on 11 May 2012. Retrieved 10 May 2012.
  19. "Al Madina". Folded Up. Retrieved 3 June 2012.
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