Type Daily Founded 1 June 1978 | Format Broadsheet Headquarters Doha, Qatar | |
Owner(s) Gulf Publishing and Printing Company Publisher Abdullah bin Khalifa Al Attiyah | ||
The Gulf Times newspaper was founded in 1978 as the first publication of the Gulf Publishing and Printing Company in the capital city of Qatar, Doha (or ad-Dawhah). It is one of three English language newspapers in the country (the others being The Peninsula [1995] and the Qatar Tribune [2006]). It is published by Abdullah bin Hamad Al Attiyah, the former deputy prime minister and the former head of the Emir's court.
History
The Gulf Times, Qatar, (the first publication of the Gulf Publishing and Printing Organisation) was founded on 1 June 1978. Its contract was signed and the required license was issued on 5 August 1978, in accordance with the laws of Qatar. The first edition of Gulf Times was published on 10 December 1978, as a black-and-white tabloid, under the leadership of Yousef Jassim Darwish, the editor-in-chief of both Gulf Times and later the sister Arabic-language paper Al Raya.
On 1 January 1993, Gulf Publishing & Printing Company—encompassing both the Gulf Times and Al Raya—moved to new headquarters in the Al Hilal Area, on the C Ring Road, with a larger printing press, more up-to-date facilities and more office space. The newspaper could now grow both in physical size and publishing figures.
In December 1995, Gulf Times was converted from tabloid to broadsheet and the content was increased considerably. Currently, a Gulf Times newspaper is 40 pages, broadsheet, with a separate monthly magazine, called Society.
Recently, Gulf Times expanded coverage by adding more pages dedicated to Latin America and Africa and also in business and finance and sports.
The paper is one of the leading publications in the English language market in Qatar. It has been notable for carrying news reports that go beyond the self-censorship usual to the Persian Gulf region. It pioneered reporting of criminal court cases, including reporting serious offences by Qatari nationals and other negative social issues, such as the black market in alcohol, but has since become more conservative. It was the first Gulf paper to document the mistreatment of very young camel jockeys in a report that is credited with leading to the reform of the camel racing industry in several Gulf states.
Society is the premier monthly lifestyle magazine published by Gulf Times newspaper in Doha, Qatar. Launched in January 2012, the magazine offers a broad range of features, primarily based on lifestyle, hospitality and social issues, relevant to Qatar expatriates and nationals. Its contents and voices are guided by the needs and aspirations of the people of Qatar and their opinions, choices and needs, ultimately making the magazine a very strong platform for people to reach out and make a difference.
The magazine is being distributed free of cost to the subscribers of the Gulf Times newspaper.