Front page of Asharq Al-Awsat |
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| Type | Daily newspaper |
|---|---|
| Format | Broadsheet |
| Owner | Saudi Research & Marketing Group |
| Editor | Tariq Alhomayed |
| Founded | 1978 |
| Headquarters | London |
| Circulation | 234,561 (2004)[1] |
| ISSN | 0265-5772 |
| Official website | aawsat.com |
Asharq Al-Awsat (Arabic: الشرق الاوسط, meaning "The Middle East") is an Arabic international newspaper headquartered in London. A pioneer of the "off-shore" model in the Arabic press, the paper is often noted for its distinctive green-tinted pages.[2]
The New York Times in 2005 called Asharq Al-Awsat "one of the oldest and most influential in the region."[2] Although published under the name of a private company, the Saudi Research & Marketing Group, the paper was founded with the approval of the Saudi royal family and government ministers, and is noted for its support of the Saudi government.[2]
Launched in London in 1978, and currently printed in 12 locations internationally,[3] the paper is often billed as "the leading Arab daily newspaper,"[4] and calls itself "the premier pan-Arab daily newspaper"[3] based on the fact that past estimates of its circulation have given it the largest circulation of the off-shore Pan-Arab dailies, a category including its chief competitor Al-Hayat.[1] However, reliable estimates are available only from the early 2000s, before rival Al-Hayat launched a massive effort to increase circulation in Saudi Arabia.[5]
Asharq Al-Awsat covers events through a network of bureaus and correspondents throughout the Arab World, Europe, USA and Asia. The paper also has copyright syndications with the Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, New York Times and Global Viewpoint, permitting it to publish Arabic translations of columnists like Thomas Friedman and David Ignatius.[3]
The newspaper is owned by Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, a member of the Saudi royal family.[6]
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The paper's first editor-in-chief Jihad El-Khazen, now a columnist and editor emeritus for the rival pan-Arab daily Al-Hayat, has given credit to Hisham Hafez, with the subsequent support of his brother Mohammed Ali Hafez, for the initial idea of establishing an Arabic-language newspaper in London.[7] Former editor-in-chief Othaman Al-Omeir has likewise given credit to the brothers, Hisham and Mohammad Hafez, for founding and then overseeing the paper.[8] Together with El-Khazen, the brothers set out to prove the value of the idea through a number of trial issues to the then-Crown Prince, later king, Fahd of Saudi Arabia, who had initially warmed to the thought but then lost his enthusiasm.[7] El-Khazen also gives credit to the then-Saudi ambassador to London and then-deputy minister of information in helping gain Fahid's verbal approval for issuing the newspaper while the prince was on an official visit to England.[7] The story of the paper's founding is a strong indication of the newspaper's close relationship to the Saudi government.
After the news of the paper's first big scoop (regarding the formation of the U.S. Central Command for the Middle East), the still new newspaper made its name through the controversy surrounding the Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty signed in 1978 at Camp David.[7]
In the face of widespread criticism from contributors and staff toward the Camp David Accords and Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, Cairo bureau chief Salah al-Din Hafez resigned. Then, Sadat held a press conference with the new Asharq Al-Awsat bureau chief by his side in which the Egyptian president attacked the newspaper and its stance toward the peace process in general, citing his suspicions of the bureau chief's "high" salary, and accusing Prince Fahd of using the newspaper as a weapon against Egypt and the Egyptian president personally.[7]
Jihad El-Khazen later reminisced about the events, saying: "I think that this press conference was worth a million dollars (in its value at the time) of free publicity for the newspaper, which since became the subject of interest for many foreign governments and the foreign media."[7]
In addition to Jihad El-Khazen, other well-known past editors include Erfan Nizameddine, Othman Al-Omair (founder of Elaph, the first online Arabic newspaper),[8] and Abdel Rahman Al-Rashed (general mananger of Al-Arabiya since April 2004).[9]
The current editor is Tariq Alhomayed. Mr. Al Homayed's era has received mixed reviews as his name was associated with much criticism of the Asharq Al-Awsat's performance.
Though the newspaper is Saudi-owned, and is considered more pro-Saudi than rival Al-Hayat,[2] Asharq Al-Awsat has billed itself as the "leading international Arabic paper," as it was the first Arabic daily to use satellite transmission for simultaneous printing in a number of sites across the world.[3]
Media scholar Marc Lynch has called Asharq al-Awsat "the most conservative" of the major pan-Arab papers.[10]
The paper's chief competition in Saudi Arabia are Al-Hayat and Okaz; globally, its chief competition is Al-Hayat, though it is often paired with Al-Quds Al-Arabi which is considered to be its polar opposite.[10] According to this dichotomy, Asharq Al-Awsat represents the "moderate camp" when compared to the "rejection camp" of Al-Quds Al-Arabi.[10]