The newspaper you read every day is the cumulative work of dozens of people.
From the story submitted by a reporter to the editor curating and shaping the submitted stories, to the designers who put them to the pages and proofreaders who make sure that they are error-free — everyone is part of a whole to deliver a single edition every day.
But aside from those that we see, there are also hundreds of others working behind the scene — the print department, the ads department including the couriers that make sure you receive the copies in your home every day.
As Oman Observer celebrates its 40th anniversary, some of our colleagues share how they get started and why they love this profession.
To be working in the media can be a thankless job. But to see the paper every day, to any journalist, the smell of ink on paper is priceless.
Waking up every morning to start another day with non-routine tasks could be overwhelming but helps the journalist to grow up fast.
At first, I wasn’t so sure whether I would enjoy working in the media or not, but I realised that the work atmosphere plays a big role
One of the key things about working in the media is to be curious, accurate and have good research skills. In a few years, I will complete my 10 years in Oman Daily Observer and with every learning, I feel like there is so much more for me to do and accomplish.
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My career with the Oman Observer Daily began in the year 2008 after a nearly 12 years stint with national and private radios, TV and print media in India and the Middle East since 1996. What makes working with Oman Observer different is undoubtedly the freedom of expression and the support extended by the editorial headed by the Editor in Chief.
I’m among the few who are lucky to have worked under three editors in chief which helped me fine-tune my skills as a passionate journalist who always wanted to bring the local lives in focus.
All through my 13 years of working with the national daily, I’ve found the chiefs and the different desks very proactive, encouraging and letting me go that extra mile in covering events in and around the country.
I find myself to be lucky to have worked under widely experienced editors that helped me look into my stories from a different perspective and touch upon varied subjects and meet with people of fame till today.
I’m pretty sure, with the same support and cooperation, I’d be able to bring out more of me for the readers.
To be honest, I’m not sure whether I am fully fulfilling my duties as a journalist by telling the stories as they ought to be. Even though I could not bring smiles to the faces of many people, I could hear their stories and tell them to the public. This is what I have done from my first assignment as a reporter to cover the world’s worst industrial gas tragedy in the central Indian city of Bhopal in 1984 to my current duties in Oman Observer. Yes, I take pride in my profession because it gives me ample opportunities to make me a platform for people who have stories to tell and need an outlet to narrate them! This is what I wanted to do since my schooling. To be trusted by someone to respectfully represent them!
As Oman Observer celebrates 40 years, I am incredibly excited because I started my career in Oman as a broadcaster at Sultanate of Oman Radio and Television and all those years Oman Observer had accompanied me to the National Day celebrations at the stadium to studio programmes. It was a great educational and research tool. Never did I think I would be at Oman Observer one day. It has been an exciting journey because writing for broadcast and print is totally different. And multimedia is in full swing. Observer has moved swiftly to the new media and it has been a tremendous experience to adapt, learn and perform. Podcasts, videos, social media — it is a whole different world out there, but print and the feel of the paper still continue in its importance. Today, Oman Observer reaches out to the world and applies the principle of immediacy which used to be the terrain of radio and tv, thanks to social media and technology. In other words, we can keep you posted wherever you are!
The sword and the lemon! As a sports journalist, it was always special to link with the Sultanate’s traditional sport of equestrian. Incidentally, my first story for Oman Observer was the golden performance of Oman at the inaugural Tent Pegging World Cup at the Al Rahba race track in Barka. The Sultanate riders made a memorable performance by finishing runner-up behind champions South Africa. The first World Cup was organised by the Oman Equestrian Federation (OEF) in association with the International Tent Pegging Federation (ITPF) from March 31 to April 4, 2014. The participating countries were Pakistan, Oman, Qatar, Yemen, Iraq, Egypt, South Africa, Britain and Australia. It was a historic occasion for Muscat as well which later became the headquarters of the world tent pegging body under the mercurial leadership of Mohammed Eisa al Fairuz.
#beanobserver sums up the tagline of this vibrant daily, an institution in its own right, as it steps into the semi-century era. The daily stands for good news and national development. It constantly keeps the readers informed of the changing events, issues, and characters of the world outside. The foremost value of ‘news’ as a utility to empower the informed has been foremost throughout. The strength of ties that bound the multicultural staff could be seen during the catastrophic 2007 Cyclone Gonu. Several staff members from various departments, editorial, production and others, stood in unity and produced the daily skeletal edition much against heavy odds. The daily was printed when the readers wanted them the most to deliver timely news. Observer has made a noteworthy and remarkable contribution to the nation’s development in a big way. Its impact and prominence make it a pride and I am truly honoured to be part of the daily as it completes 40 eventual years.
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