THIRTY YEARS ON - HOW THE UAE MEDIA IS CHANGING?

Just over thirty years ago the first English daily newspaper was launched in the UAE. It’s name Khaleej Times.  That very same year, Gulf News was launched and became the first newspaper in the region to promote the arts, culture, music and sport through sponsorship of events. Today, the UAE media has come a long way with 6 daily newspapers now in print; Khaleej Times, Gulf News, Gulf Today, 7-days, Emirates Business 24/7 and more recently The National. Just as the scenery and landscape of Dubai has evolved so too has the country’s national dailies. Yet, how are these papers competing with each other, let alone the increasing number of international newspapers and magazines that are now available; The Times, FT, The Economist etc? Quality content is crucial, along with good solid reporting and relevant stories. No one likes reading the same story in another paper, especially editors. Papers have to be distinct and must have an edge or they will fall off the bandwagon. In the past year, this has been evident with the arrival of the National. With excellent reporters, top notch stories and rich content its status as one of the nation’s favorite papers is clearly rising, especially amongst Western Expats. Not only has it raised the standards of reporting, writing and editing, it has made many of us feel like there is a little bit of home here in the UAE. We can relate to it, we like it and we applaud it.