As the clock struck 12 midnight on Sunday, November 15, 1981, a black-and-white press was about to start printing the eight pages of the first English language newspaper in the Sultanate of Oman named the Oman Daily Observer, the sister publication of the Arabic language Oman newspaper which was established 10 years earlier exactly on November 18, 1972.
All the staff were present at the printing press of the Oman newspaper media house situated at the heart of the bustling business district Ruwi, which was the centre of trade and finance at the outset of the Renaissance that was initiated by the late Sultan Qaboos in July 1970.
Ruwi was the focal point for investors and businessmen in pursuit of trade opportunities which was the reason behind the selection of a suitable location for the Oman newspaper and the Observer as well as the first printing press in the Sultanate of Oman. The building contained a photojournalism section and offices for reporters, correspondents and technicians besides the administration and technical departments which help the journalists carry out their task.
Small steps
The editorial staff of the Observer was established as a small unit headed by Reed Anderson, a Briton with a journalism background and experience in the British press. He was chosen to be in charge of the first issue of the Observer which contained local, news, business, sports and features, community sections in addition to two pages for the Arab, regional and international news.
After some time, John Burrows took over as the Editor-in-Chief of the Observer from Reed Anderson. He was succeeded by Ian Cumins who in turn was succeeded by Said al Harthy, the first Omani Editor-in-Chief of the Observer. Suhail al Maashari, Ibrahim al Hamdani, Fahmi al Harthy followed, until I took charge as its Editor-in-Chief.
At the end of the 1980s, the pages of the Observer increased from eight to 10 pages and then 12 pages. Separate supplements were added to the newspaper and business became a separate 4-page daily section for which the salmon pink colour was chosen to give it the international business press appearance. In the latest development, the number of pages of the Observer reached 32 pages divided into five main sections: locals, business, sports, features and politics. The newspaper also has magazines and supplements for various occasions.
I came to the Observer in 2013 carrying an accumulated experience in the audio and visual media as well as being a writer in several Arab and local publications. I am here to complement the march of the old newspaper and to follow the same media and political approach embraced by the Sultanate of Oman in dealing with the world. This approach provides for non- intervention in others’ affairs, and respecting the will of the nations and peoples, encouraging international peace and security, abandoning violence and extremism, helping others and meditating thorny issues as well as other media and political principles that the Sultanate of Oman had adopted for decades.
Today, the Observer completes forty years of continued giving since its first black-and-white issue came out of the press. Today, the Observer has an interactive website and digital platforms. The newly-launched website is enhanced by technologies. The Observer social media sites provide enhanced interaction with the audience.
The Observer has established itself as a significant and credible reference of local and international news and stories thanks to a network of editors, reporters and technicians working around-the-clock to deliver a message from the Sultanate of Oman to the whole world.
We congratulate ourselves and our esteemed audience on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the Oman Daily Observer and we would like to extend our thanks to the audience for standing by us and for their continued feedback and support without which we could not have achieved this success. We promise you to complete our march together with our readers to deliver news impartially and honestly.
Oman Observer is now on the WhatsApp channel. Click here
