Media of Qatar

The Media of Qatar relays information and data in Qatar by means of television, radio, cinema, newspapers, magazines and the internet. Qatar has established itself as a leading regional figure in mass media over the past decade. Al Jazeera, a global news network which was established in 1996, has become the foundation of the media sector.[1] The country uses media to brand itself and raise its international profile.[2]

There are currently seven newspapers in circulation in Qatar, with four being published in Arabic and three being published in English.[2] Additionally, there are nine magazines.[3] The first weekly magazine, Al-Urooba, was issued in 1970,[4] while Qatar's first weekly newspaper was called Gulf News and appeared in 1969.[5] Al Arab was the first post-independence newspaper to appear in Qatar in 1972.[6] Gulf Times was the first English newspaper in Qatar until the arrival of The Peninsula in 1996.[7]

Qatar established a foothold in the publications market with the founding of the Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Publishing in 2008.[2]

According to circulation estimates released in 2004, Al Watan was the most widely circulated newspaper in Qatar, with a circulation rate of 18,000. Al Sharq and Gulf Times both came second, with circulation rates of 15,000.[6] A more recent report in 2008 asserts that the total circulation rate is approximately 100,000 copies per day with Al Raya and Gulf Times both having the highest circulation rates at 18,000 and Al Sharq and Al Watan having circulation rates of 15,000.[8]

Radio

All radio programs from Qatar are state-owned and are amalgamated as the Qatar Broadcasting Service.[9] Radio broadcasting in the country began on 25 June 1968 and English transmissions started in December 1971[10] in order to accommodate the increasing non-Arabic speaking expat community.[11][12] The QBS currently features radio stations in English, Arabic, French and Urdu.[4]

Television

Main article: Television in Qatar
Al Jazeera English newsroom

The first television station in Qatar was Qatar TV. Qatar TV began producing and transmitting its own programmes in 1970, with color transmission since 1974. It had a monopoly on television audience until 1993, when Qatar Cablevision began broadcasting satellite channels. Despite the broadening of television offerings, Qatar TV remains popular amongst locals.[13] The first news network was the Qatar News Agency, which was launched in 1975. In May 1977, the Qatar General Broadcasting and Television Corporation was founded.[12]

Al Jazeera, currently Qatar's largest television network, was founded in 1996. Initially launched as an Arabic news and current affairs satellite TV channel, Al Jazeera has since expanded into a network with several outlets, including the internet and specialty TV channels in multiple languages. It is accessible in several world regions. The network is owned by the government of Qatar.[14][15]

beIN Sports, a global network of sports channels, was launched in 2012. It is an affiliate of Al Jazeera Media Network and American media company Turner Broadcasting System. It currently operates three channels in France – beIN Sport 1, beIN Sport 2 and beIN Sport MAX – and launched two channels in the United States in August 2012.[16]

During the 2011 AFC Asian Cup, the Al-Kass Sports Channel set a world record when it deployed 51 different cameras in a broadcast of a single match.[17]

Motion pictures

Qatar's modern film industry was conceived in 2009.[18] From then onwards, there have been efforts to develop a sustainable film industry in the country and in the region,[19] such as the organization and hosting of the Doha Tribeca Film Festival from 2009 to 2012, which had formed a partnership with the American-based Tribeca Film Festival.[20]

In 2010, Khalifa al-Muraikhi released Qatar's first full-length film, entitled 'Clockwise'.[21] The film is a documentary on 'fijri', a genre of Arabic music performed during pearl trips, and was premiered in Doha during the celebration ceremony for the city's successful nomination for the 'Arab Capital of Culture.[18] The Doha Film Institute was also launched in 2010 with the aim of developing a film industry with strong links to the international film community.[22] DFI is credited as a production company on several films, including the co-production of Black Gold,[20] The Reluctant Fundamentalist directed by Mira Nair which was the opening film in the 69th Venice International Film Festival,[23][24] and Kanye West's Cruel Summer - a short film which shot in Doha and premiered during the 2012 Cannes Film Festival.[25] Innovations Films have been credited by the DFI as being one of the leading film production companies in the country.[26]

Some observers in the Arab art scene have criticized the Qatari film industry, claiming that they feature more foreign films than regional ones, and view it as more of a platform to put the country's film industry on the map rather than a means to support regional talents.[19]

Internet

Main article: Internet in Qatar

Internet services have been available in Qatar since 1997.[27] Statistics released by the International Telecommunication Union reveal that as of 2012, 88% of the population is connected to the internet. Internet usage has drastically increased from 2000, when it was 5%.[28] All of the major newspaper publications have online websites.[29] Al Jazeera's English website was launched in 2003 at the beginning of the Iraq War. It has been the subject of numerous cyber attacks.[30]

In 2007 Qatar was the second most connected country in the Arab region.[31] Qatar's Internet penetration rate grew from 6% in 2001 to 37% in 2007 to 86% in 2011.[32]

In regards to telecommunication infrastructure, Qatar is the highest ranked Middle Eastern country in the World Economic Forum's Network Readiness Index (NRI) – an indicator for determining the development level of a country’s information and communication technologies. Qatar ranked number 23 overall in the 2014 NRI ranking, unchanged from 2013.[33]

Media censorship

The redirect page for a censored internet website

Prior to 1995, there were severe restrictions in regards to the disposition of information that journalists were permitted to report. The censorship of local media was formally lifted after Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani deposed his father in July 1995, when a few weeks after the deposition, he withdrew censors from local newspapers.[6] Further restrictions were lifted in 1996 when he abolished the information ministry and its censorship office. The information ministry was later replaced with a government-owned corporation.[6]

The 1979 Prints and Publications Law, which imposes many restrictions on freedom of press, remained in effect despite the other reforms made by Sheikh Hamad.[34] Article 46 of the press law outlaws criticism of the Emir. It declares, “The Emir of the state of Qatar shall not be criticized and no statement can be attributed to him unless under a written permission from the manager of his office.”[34] As a result, journalists practice self-censorship, particularly in regards to the ruling family.[35] They are also subject to prosecution for insulting Islam.[36] IREX reports that newspapers and radio programmes possesses a wider margin of freedom than the official news media.[8]

Internet service is monitored by the government, with pornography and other materials deemed inappropriate being censored.[35] The customs and the censorship office in the Qatar General Broadcasting and Television Corporation monitors imported foreign broadcasting for sensitive content.[37]

In 2014, a Cybercrime Prevention Law was passed, threatening to punish anyone who violates social values by publishing information regarding the private or family life of an individual, even if the information is accurate. If convicted, a perpetrator can face up to a year in prison and a fine of QR 100,000.[38] The law also stipulates that anyone found guilty of publishing false news which could jeapordize the safety of the state could face a maximum 1-year prison sentence and QR 250,000 fine, while anyone who is found guilty of publishing false news with the aim of destabilizing national security could face up to a 3-year prison sentence and a fine of QR 500,000.[38] The Gulf Center for Human Rights has stated that the law is a threat to freedom of speech and has called for certain articles of the law to be revoked.[39]

Initiatives to alleviate media censorship

In 2008, Qatar was the only country which abstained from signing the Arab Satellite Charter, a proposal intended to regulate and control satellite TV stations. AFP reported that Qatar abstained from signing the charter due to legal reasons.[40]

The Doha Centre for Media Freedom was established in December 2007 with the aim of promoting media freedom throughout the region.[41] Robert Ménard, a founder of Reporters Without Borders, was appointed as the director-general of the organization in April 2008. He resigned in July 2009 over a dispute with the Qatari authorities, whom he accuses of restricting the centre's freedom of speech.[42]

See also

References

  1. ↑ The Report: Qatar 2009. Oxford Business Group. 2009. p. 200. ISBN 978-1902339252.
  2. 1 2 3 The Report: Qatar 2010. Oxford Business Group. 2010. p. 237.
  3. ↑ "IREX Report 2009" (PDF). irex.org. Retrieved 20 January 2015.
  4. 1 2 "Information and Media". qatarembassy.net. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
  5. ↑ Martin, Shannon E.; Copeland, David A. (2003). The Function of Newspapers in Society: A Global Perspective. Praeger. p. 24. ISBN 978-0275973988.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Rugh, William A. (2004). Arab Mass Media: Newspapers, Radio, and Television in Arab Politics (1st ed.). Praeger. pp. 61, 72. ISBN 978-0275982126.
  7. ↑ Qatar Mineral & Mining Sector Investment and Business Guide. Intl Business Pubns USA. 2009. p. 246. ISBN 978-1438739854.
  8. 1 2 "IREX Report 2008" (PDF). irex.org. Retrieved 20 January 2015.
  9. ↑ Qatar Country Study Guide Volume 1 Strategic Information and Developments. Int'l Business Publications, USA. 2012. p. 196. ISBN 978-0739762141.
  10. ↑ "QBS FM Radio - Doha". tunein.com. Retrieved 20 January 2015.
  11. ↑ "Radio". qmediame.com. Retrieved 20 January 2015.
  12. 1 2 Abbas Kadhim, p. 273
  13. ↑ Tourya Guaaybess (2013-01-11). National Broadcasting and State Policy in Arab Countries. Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 1899–1900. ISBN 978-1-137-25765-9. Retrieved 2013-06-13.
  14. ↑ DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY(COMMUNICATION) Dissertation
  15. ↑ Al-Jazeera's political independence questioned amid Qatar intervention, The Guardian
  16. ↑ Al Jazeera to Kick Off Pair of Soccer Channels in U.S. this August Bleacher Report, 2 June 2012
  17. ↑ Pederson, Paul M. (2013). Routledge Handbook of Sport Communication. Routledge. p. 142. ISBN 978-0415518192.
  18. 1 2 "'Focus on Qatar' opens with first feature film Clockwise". The Peninsula. 1 October 2015. Retrieved 1 October 2015.
  19. 1 2 Schwartz, Lowell H.; Kaye, Dalia Dassa; Martini, Jeffrey (2013). Artists and the Arab Uprisings. RAND Corporation. p. 50. ISBN 978-0833080363.
  20. 1 2 "Whatever happened to the Qatari film industry?". theguardian.com. 6 March 2014. Retrieved 20 January 2015.
  21. ↑ "Celebrating Qatar's cinematic rise". Gulf Times. 12 September 2015. Retrieved 12 September 2015.
  22. ↑ "Qatar launches Doha Film Institute to build sustainable film industry". habibtoumi.com. 16 May 2010. Retrieved 20 January 2015.
  23. ↑ "The Reluctant Fundamentalist opens Venice Film Festival". BBC News. 30 August 2013. Retrieved 20 January 2015.
  24. ↑ "The Not-So-Reluctant Filmmaker". wsj.com. 25 April 2013. Retrieved 20 January 2015.
  25. ↑ "Cannes 2012: Kanye West Debuts Groundbreaking Film With Kim Kardashian, Jay-Z in Attendance". The Hollywood Reporter. 23 May 2012. Retrieved 20 January 2015.
  26. ↑ Anand Holla (5 October 2015). "Showcasing Qatari filmmaking talent". Gulf Times. Retrieved 5 October 2015.
  27. ↑ Mellor, Noha; Rinnawi, Khalil; Dajani, Nabil; Ayish, Muhammad I. (2011). "Arab Media: Globalization and Emerging Media Industries". Polity. ISBN 978-0745645353.
  28. ↑ "ITU's portal for key ICT data and statistics". itu.int. Retrieved 20 January 2015.
  29. ↑ "Online newspapers in Qatar". onlinenewspapers.com. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
  30. ↑ Hugh Miles, 2005. Al-Jazeera: The Inside Story of the Arab News Channel that is Challenging the West. New York: Grove Press, p. 260, Books.Google.com
  31. ↑ Arab Advisors Group, "UAE, Qatar and Bahrain are the Arab World’s highest adopters of telecommunication services" June 4, 2007.
  32. ↑ Percentage of Individuals using the Internet 2000-2011, International Telecommunication Union, accessed on 19 August 2012.
  33. ↑ "NRI Overall Ranking 2014" (PDF). World Economic Forum. Retrieved 28 June 2014.
  34. 1 2 Roth, Richard J. (8 May 2013). "Awaiting a Modern Press Law in Qatar". NY Times. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
  35. 1 2 Blanchard, Christoper (2014). Qatar: Background and U.S. Relations. Congressional Research Service. p. 17.
  36. ↑ "Qatar Freedom of the Press". freedomhouse.org. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
  37. ↑ Figenschou, Tine Ustad (2013). Al Jazeera and the Global Media Landscape: The South is Talking Back. Routledge. p. 38. ISBN 978-0415814430.
  38. 1 2 "New cybercrime law could have serious consequences for press freedom in Qatar". cpj.org. 27 September 2014. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
  39. ↑ "Qatar: New Cyber Crime Law poses real threat to Freedom of Expression". gc4hr.org. 17 September 2014. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
  40. ↑ "Arab governments move to restrict satellite TV". cpj.org. 15 February 2008. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
  41. ↑ Kadhim, Abbas (2013). Governance in the Middle East and North Africa: A Handbook. Routledge. p. 264. ISBN 978-1857435849.
  42. ↑ "Robert Ménard and staff leave Doha Centre For Media Freedom". rsf.org. 23 June 2009. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
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