Oman Daily Observer
 Oman Daily Observer front page excerpt, 13 January 2007 | |
| Type |
Daily newspaper |
|---|---|
| Format | Broadsheet |
| Owner(s) | Oman Establishment for Press, News Publication and Advertising (OEPPA), Ministry of Information |
| Founded | 1 November 1981 |
| Political alignment | Pro-government |
| Headquarters |
Madinat Al Ilam, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman |
| Official website | omanobserver.om |
The Oman Daily Observer is an English-language Omani daily.
History and profile
Established in November 1981, it is the oldest and most widely circulated English-language broadsheet in Oman.[1]
The Observer focuses on local, national, regional and international news covering current affairs, business and sports. It also pays special attention to Oman’s economic development, highlighting the country’s natural, historical and cultural wealth.
The current Chairman of the Board of Directors is HE Dr Abdulmunim bin Mansour bin Said al Hasani. The Minister of Information Chief Executive Officer is Dr. Ibrahim bin Ahmed Al Kindi, and the Editor in Chief is Fahmi bin Khalid Al Harthi.
The Special Projects Unit handles many projects and publications of national interest. Port of Sohar magazine, an industrial magazine produced in cooperation with Sohar Industrial Port Co (SIPC) is in its 6th issue. Mazoon Magazine, a free distribution monthly magazine with the Oman Daily Observer is gathering popularity. Mazoon concentrates on Oman based original stories only.
Controversy
The managing editor for several years of the Oman Daily Observer was Maurice Gent, an Irish journalist with experience working on Fleet Street, at The Daily Telegraph and the Financial Times, and at the BBC.[2] On 15 June 2004, Gent was dismissed as managing editor by the Observer's owners, the Oman Establishment for Press, News Publication and Advertising (OEPNPA). Market rumour was that Gent was a victim of Omanization, but an article in the Kerala Monitor exposed alleged disquiet in Oman at Gent's editorial interference although as editor, this was his job, in particular through a front page article he wrote allegedly defending the former chief executive officer of the National Bank of Oman, Aubyn Hill, who had recently been deported from Oman under the accusation for fraud.[3]
it s likely that the article in the Kerala Monitor was instigated by colleagues with a personal, unfounded grudge.
On 23 August 2009, the Observer published "A co-ordinated transport plan for Oman", an article by Gent on TransOman, a transport, shipping and logistics show organised by Oman International Trade and Exhibitions.[2] The introduction to the article stated that Gent had been with the Observer for 10 years, and that the article was the first in a weekly series, appearing on Sundays.[2] The Observer subsequently published two more articles by Gent in the series,[4][5] and various other articles in Gent's TransOman Notebook column throughout late 2009,[6] including an article on Khimji Ramdas,[7] the main enterprise of the Khimji family.
Managing editors
| Years | Managing Editor |
|---|---|
| Until 2002 | Said bin Khalfan Al Harthy |
| 2002 - 2004 | Maurice Gent |
| From 2004 - present | Fatima Aideed |
References
- ↑ "Clients". KnowledgeView. Retrieved 12 October 2013.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Gent, Maurice (23 August 2009). "A co-ordinated transport plan for Oman" in Oman Daily Observer. Retrieved 3 March 2010.
- ↑ "Observer Terminates British Editor Maurice Gent" (15 June 2004) Kerala Monitor. Retrieved 4 March 2010.
- ↑ Gent, Maurice (30 August 2009). "A co-ordinated transport plan for Oman" Oman Daily Observer. Retrieved 3 March 2010.
- ↑ Gent, Maurice (6 September 2009). "A co-ordinated transport plan for Oman" Oman Daily Observer. Retrieved 4 March 2010.
- ↑ OITE Press Releases at Oman International Trade and Exhibitions. Retrieved 5 March 2010.
- ↑ Gent, Maurice (27 September 2009). "Khimji Ramdas joins TransOman conference" Oman Daily Observer. Retrieved 5 March 2010.
