''An-Nahar'' ( ar, النهار, lit=The Day or The Morning) is a leading
Arabic-language
Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a 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. E.Watson; Walter ...
daily
newspaper
A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background.
Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as politics, business, sports a ...
published in
Lebanon
Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...
. In the 1980s, ''An-Nahar'' was described by the ''New York Times'' and ''Time Magazine'' as the
newspaper of record
A newspaper of record is a major national newspaper with large circulation whose editorial and news-gathering functions are considered authoritative and independent; they are thus "newspapers of record by reputation" and include some of the o ...
for the entire Arab world.
[
]
History and profile
It was launched on 4 August 1933 as a four-page, hand-set paper. The paper, whose staff numbered five, including its founder Gebran Tueni
Gebran Ghassan Tueni ( ar, جبران تويني; 15 September 1957 – 12 December 2005) was a Lebanese politician and the former editor and publisher of daily paper ''An Nahar'', established by his grandfather, also named Gebran Tueni, i ...
, was started with a capital of 50 gold pieces raised from friends, and a circulation of a mere 500 copies. Tueni served as the chief editor of the paper until his death in 1949. His son, Ghassan Tueni
Ghassan Tueni ( ar, غسان تويني; 5 January 1926 – 8 June 2012) was a veteran Lebanese journalist, politician and diplomat who headed ''An Nahar'', one of the Arab World's leading newspapers. He was often referred to as the "Dean ...
, and grandson, also named Gebran Tueni
Gebran Ghassan Tueni ( ar, جبران تويني; 15 September 1957 – 12 December 2005) was a Lebanese politician and the former editor and publisher of daily paper ''An Nahar'', established by his grandfather, also named Gebran Tueni, i ...
, were subsequent editors and publishers.
Ghassan Tueni was publisher and 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 the paper from 1948 to 1999 when he retired. On 19 December 1976, Syrian forces occupied the offices of the daily. Upon this incident Ghassan Tueni suspended the publication for a while and left Lebanon for Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
. In 1977, several journalists writing for the daily were detained.
Ghassan's son, Gebran Tueni, was the editor-in-chief of the paper from 2003 to 2005. He was elected to parliament for a Beirut
Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint o ...
constituency in the 2005 elections, but was assassinated on 12 December 2005 in Mkalles
Mkalles ( ar, المكلس translit. al-Mkalles) is a town in the Matn District of the Mount Lebanon Governorate, Lebanon
Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republi ...
near Beirut
Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint o ...
in a car bomb explosion. A fiery critic of Syria and its hegemony in Lebanese affairs, Gebran had just returned on the eve of his assassination from Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
where he had been living for fear of assassination. After Gebran's assassination on 12 December 2005, his father Ghassan took over the paper again until his death on 8 June 2012.[
Saudi Prince ]Al-Waleed bin Talal
Al Waleed bin Talal Al Saud ( ar, الوليد بن طلال آل سعود; born 7 March 1955) is a Saudi Arabian billionaire businessman, investor, philanthropist and royal. He was listed on ''Time'' magazine's Time 100, an annual list of the hu ...
has a stake in the paper. The 2009 Ipsos Stat survey revealed that the paper is the most popular newspaper in Lebanon and one of the five most popular in the Middle East.[
''An-Nahar'' is the first Arab paper which regularly covers news on ]environmental issues
Environmental issues are effects of human activity on the biophysical environment, most often of which are harmful effects that cause environmental degradation. Environmental protection is the practice of protecting the natural environment on t ...
. Since 1997, the daily contains a daily page for the environment.[
]
Views and writers
''An-Nahar'' provided a platform for various freethinkers
Freethought (sometimes spelled free thought) is an epistemological viewpoint which holds that beliefs should not be formed on the basis of authority, tradition, revelation, or dogma, and that beliefs should instead be reached by other methods ...
to express their views during the years of the Syrian occupation of Lebanon. The paper can be best expressed as centre-left
Centre-left politics lean to the left on the left–right political spectrum but are closer to the centre than other left-wing politics. Those on the centre-left believe in working within the established systems to improve social justice. The c ...
, though its writers' views range across the political spectrum.
Journalist Charles Glass
Charles Glass (born November 18, 1951) is an American-British author, journalist, broadcaster and publisher specializing in the Middle East and the Second World War.
He was ''ABC News'' chief Middle East correspondent from 1983 to 1993, and has ...
argues that ''An-Nahar'' is Lebanon's equivalent of ''The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
''. ''The New York Times'' and ''Time
Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to ...
'' have called it "the newspaper of record
A newspaper of record is a major national newspaper with large circulation whose editorial and news-gathering functions are considered authoritative and independent; they are thus "newspapers of record by reputation" and include some of the o ...
for the entire Arab world".
Now defunct Lebanese daily ''As-Safir
''As-Safir'' ( ar, السفير, lit=The Ambassador), was a leading Arabic-language daily newspaper in Lebanon. The headquarters of the daily was in Beirut. It was in circulation from March 1974 until December 2016. The last issue of the paper wa ...
'' was cited as the rival of ''An-Nahar''. In the mid-1990s the latter was described as a moderate and right-of-center paper, while the former as a left-of-center paper. In the 2000s these papers were again supporters of two opposite poles in Lebanon, in that ''An-Nahar'' was a supporter of March 14 alliance
The March 14 Alliance ( ar, تحالف 14 آذار, taḥāluf 14 adhār}), named after the date of the Cedar Revolution, is a coalition of political parties and independents in Lebanon formed in 2005 that are united by their anti-Syrian stance ...
, whereas ''As-Safir'' supported March 8 alliance
The March 8 Alliance ( ar, تحالف 8 آذار, taḥāluf 8 adhār}) is a coalition of political parties and independents in Lebanon formed in 2005 that are united by their pro-Syrian stance and their opposition to the March 14 Alliance. It ...
.[
On 11 October 2018 ''An-Nahar'' published eight blank pages to pay attention to the difficulties experienced in Lebanese press.
Prominent writers for ''An-Nahar'' have included novelist and critic ]Elias Khoury
Elias Khoury ( ar, إلياس خوري; born 12 July 1948) is a Lebanese novelist, and prominent public intellectual. Accordingly, he has published myriad novels related to literary criticism, which have been translated into several foreign lan ...
, who used to edit its weekly cultural supplement ''Al Mulhaq'' (which appears on Saturdays) and, until his assassination, historian, journalist and political activist Samir Kassir
Samir Kassir ( ar, سمير قصير, 5 May 1960 – 2 June 2005) was a Lebanese-Palestinian journalist of ''An-Nahar'' and professor of history at Saint-Joseph University, who was an advocate of democracy and prominent opponent of the Syri ...
. Walid Jumblatt
Walid Kamal Jumblatt ( ar, وليد جنبلاط; born 7 August 1949) is a Lebanese Druze politician and former militia commander who has been leading the Progressive Socialist Party since 1977. While leading the Lebanese National Resistance Fr ...
worked as a reporter at the daily in the 1980s.[ Leading caricaturist ]Pierre Sadek
Pierre Sadek (1938 – 24 April 2013) was a Lebanese caricaturist, considered a pioneer of political cartooning and a great defender of freedom of expression.
Biography
Born in Zahlé, he graduated from the Lebanese Academy of Fine Arts and work ...
also worked for the daily. Another well-known contributor was Samir Frangieh
Samir Frangieh (4 December 1945 – 11 April 2017) was a Lebanese politician and a leftist intellectual. He was a member of the Lebanese Parliament. He was from the Frangieh family, one of the well-known political families of Lebanon.
Early li ...
.
Circulation and audience
In the mid-1990s, the paper had the highest circulation in Lebanon.[ However, its circulation in the beginning of the 2000s was 45,000 copies, making it the second after ''As-Safir''.] In 2012, the Lebanese Ministry of Information stated that ''An-Nahar'' has a circulation of 45,000 copies.
The paper's online version was the 13th most visited website for 2010 in the MENA region
MENA, an acronym in the English language, refers to a grouping of countries situated in and around the Middle East and North Africa. It is also known as WANA, SWANA, or NAWA, which alternatively refers to the Middle East as Western Asia (or a ...
.
In addition to its native readers in Lebanon, the daily is read by officials, intellectuals and activists outside Lebanon.
Bans
The paper was closed for ten days on 3 May 1961 due to the publication of a cartoon depicting Lebanon as a province of Syria
Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...
. Syria banned mass circulation of the daily in 2005, while its online edition was not banned. In March 2006, the Damascus correspondent of ''An-Nahar'' was charged in Syria with publishing "false information harmful to national security" after writing about the intelligence services of the country.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nahar
1933 establishments in Lebanon
Arabic-language newspapers
Liberalism in Lebanon
Newspapers published in Beirut
Publications established in 1933
Tueni family
Daily newspapers published in Lebanon