Media in Qatar is uncensored and free, unlike any other country in the Middle East. One of the first things that His Highness Sh. Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani did when he came to power in 1995 was to close down The Ministry of Information, effectively abolishing all forms of censorship. Establishing "Al-Jazeera" was soon to follow, earning Qatar worldwide fame, and marking for the first time in the history of the Arab world, free and open media.
The launch of the English version, on the 17th of november 2006, has enhanced its visibility even more in the world market.
Qatar also has English and Arabic TV and FM radio stations. The English QTV and QBS Radio are not very popular amongst expatriates, mainly because of the wide availability of Cable and satellite TV offerings in the market, and FM stations from the neighboring United Arab Emirates.
Al Jazeera TV Satellite Channel
Al Jazeera TV was launched in November 1996, and has since expanded into a network with several outlets including the Internet and speciality TV channels in multiple languages, and several regions of the world. It provides 24 hour news coverage which targets regions with conflict.
Al Jazeera was the first of the Arab TV stations to break the unwritten rule that you should not pass judgment on another Arab regime, the source of much of its earliest controversy. Based in Qatar, It has an incredibly wide reach within the Arab world and is proclaimed to be the fifth most famous brand-name in the world. |
Other media in Qatar include 3 Arabic and 3 English daily newspapers, and a growing number of Arabic and English magazines.
One thing often said about these is that although there is no official pressure, the media in Qatar practice the form of self censorship, avoiding criticism of any kind within Qatar, be it from the Government or private company projects. While this is true to a certain extent, it has much more to do with two distinctive factors than any form of pressure from the above.
Firstly, Arabic culture and society is much more indirect and polite than the western one, and direct form of criticism is seen to be 'impolite'.
The second reason is simple economics: Qatar is a very small market, and any publication must rely heavily on advertising income to survive. In such a market, criticising anyone openly might gain you a wider audience, but at the same time could close your advertising revenue.
List of the Qatar dailies:
Arabic Dailies
| Al Raya |
446 6555 |
| Al Watan |
465 2244 |
| Al Sharq |
455 7777 |
English Dailies
| Gulf Times |
435 0478 |
| The Peninsula |
455 7857 |
| Qatar Tribune |
442 2077 |
Gulf Times
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Website: www.gulf-times.com
Phone: 435 0478
Fax: 435 0474
Older one of the two, Gulf Times the most popular of the Qatar dailies is well established and has the widest circulation.
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Peninsula
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Website: www.thepeninsulaqatar.com
Phone: 455 7857
Fax: 455 7746
Also-run in the English Qatar dailies market, Peninsula never quite managed to find its place in the market already well served by Gulf Times. |
Qatar Tribune
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Website: www.qatar-tribune.com/
Phone: 466 6810
Fax: 465 4975
Qatar Tribune launched on the 35th Independence Day of Qatar, is relatively new to the Qatar dailies market. Al Watan, the Arabic daily and Jamila, the lifestyle magazine is also published by the same mother company Qatar Information and Marketing company |
Qatar Today
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Magazines in Qatar
Phone: 467 2139
Fax: 455 0982
Email:qtoday@omsqatar.com
Oldest and most established magazine in Qatar, "Qatar Today" stands out from the crowd with it's quality of writing, in-depth analysis and excellent distribution. "Qatar Today" is a favorite publication and cross-marketing partner of us at "Explore Qatar". Every month, you can read some of their articles on our website. They have also recently launched a sister magazine in Arabic.
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Marhaba
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Phone: 465 5533
Fax: 465 5588
Email:marhaba@qatar.net.qa
Marhaba is a hybrid between a magazine and a guide for newcomers to Qatar. Published Quarterly, it can be found in most hotels and big companies distributed for free, or in most major shopping outlets at the price of 20 QR. Very useful for newcomers and visitors.
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Abode
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Labeled as a "Gulf Lifestyle Magazine" Abode is bilingual (English / Arabic) and published bi-monthly. When you see it for the first time, you could easily be mistaken for thinking that Abode is published somewhere in Europe or in the US - quality of printing and design is outstanding. This is no miracle - publishers of the magazine are the well-known local pre-press and design house called "DPI". Although it caters a bit more to the female taste, Abode is still great read for the whole family.
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Business Qatar
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Welcomed recent addition on the market, "Business Qatar", another publication from the makers of "Abode", is also well worth the look. Published bi-monthly |
Qatar Happenings
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Phone: 436 9766
Fax: 442 0648
Email: qatarhappening@qatar.net.qa
Small free publication distributed everywhere, Qatar Happenings aims to provide the public with the list of ongoing events in Qatar every month
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Gulf Business - Qatar edition
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Offspring of Dubai - Based magazine, with only difference being the front page and one or two articles about Qatar. The magazine is mostly oriented at Dubai and Gulf - wide issues.
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Time Out - Doha guide
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Time Out - Doha guide
Makers of well - known international franchise recently published their Doha guide.
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