''Al Yaum'' (

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...

: اليوم; ''The Day'' or ''Today'') is a

Dammam Dammam ( ar, الدمّام ') is the fifth-most populous city in Saudi Arabia after Riyadh, Jeddah, Mecca, and Medina. It is the capital of the Eastern Province. With a total population of 1,252,523 as of 2020. The judicial and administrative ...

-based, supposedly pro-government Arabic daily newspaper published in

, Saudi Arabia. The paper has been in circulation since 1965

History and ownership

''Al Yaum'' was first published in Dammam in 1965. Initially, it was a weekly eight-page magazine. Its frequency and size improved over time, becoming a daily newspaper in 1978. The owner and publisher of the paper is Dar Al Yaum Organization for Printing and Publishing. The headquarters of ''Al Yaum'' is in Dammam. Hamid Ghuyarfi was the

editor-in-chief An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The highest-ranking editor of a publication may also be titled editor, managing ...

of ''Al Yaum'' until 1981 when he was dismissed due to his criticism against

Saudi government The politics of Saudi Arabia takes place in the context of a unitary absolute monarchy along Islamic lines, where the King is both the head of state and government. Decisions are, to a large extent, made on the basis of consultation among the Ki ...

. One of the other former editors-in-chief was

Othman Al Omeir Othman Al Omeir (born 1950) (Arabic:عثمان العمير) is a Saudi-born British businessman, journalist and editor. He is considered to be close to King Salman of Saudi Arabia and former rulers, including King Fahd, King Hassan II and Has ...

who is the owner of the liberal Arabic news portal ''

Elaph Elaph ( ar, إيلاف; ''Solidarity'') is the first daily Arabic independent online newspaper and is not associated with any established print or broadcast medium. History and profile ''Elaph'' was launched by Elaph Publishing in London in 2001 ...

''. Muhammad Abdallah Al Wail also served as the editor-in-chief of the paper. The daily was the first in the

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...

and the second in the world to get IFRA ISO certificate, the first in the Middle East to receive the IFRA Asia Award for best in print, and the first in the Middle East to become the WAN-IFRA Star Club member and the Color Quality Club member.

Content and format

Being a native paper of the Eastern Province ''Al Yaum'' critically covered negative living conditions of local people in the region before the Qatif uprising in 1979. The paper mostly covers news in relation to Dammam and nearby regions. It also covers regional news, sports events, and social issues that are of interest to the readers in Saudi Arabia and

Arab states of the Persian Gulf The Arab states of the Persian Gulf refers to a group of Arab states which border the Persian Gulf. There are seven member states of the Arab League in the region: Bahrain, Kuwait, Iraq, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. ...

. The paper is published in broadsheet format with 28 colour and black and white pages.

Distribution and circulation

Although the paper focuses on the local news and mainly serves the Eastern province, it is distributed across the

Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf ( fa, خلیج فارس, translit=xalij-e fârs, lit=Gulf of Persis, Fars, ), sometimes called the ( ar, اَلْخَلِيْجُ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Khalīj al-ˁArabī), is a Mediterranean sea (oceanography), me ...

region. It is the leading newspaper in the Eastern province. The paper sold 6,000 copies in 1975. The estimated 2003 circulation of ''Al Yaum'' was 80,000 copies. Its 2007 circulation was 135,000 copies.

Bans and arrests

Although the daily is described as pro-government it has experienced suspensions and arrests of its correspondents. In 1982, one of its reporters was detained for two years. In May of the same year the paper was suspended by the Saudi government due to the fact that its literary supplement became popular among the progressive and leftist young writers who were close to the

Communist Party in Saudi Arabia The Communist Party in Saudi Arabia ( ar, الحزب الشيوعي في السعودية, ''al-Hizb al-Shuyu'i fi al-Sa'udiyah'') was a political party in Saudi Arabia. It existed officially between 1975 and 1991. History The Communist Party in S ...

and the Socialist Action Party in the Arabian Peninsula (Hizb alʿamal al-ishtiraki fi al-jazira al-ʿarabiyya).

References

External links