Another Arabic daily to pamper readers' choices early next year

Manama: The seventh daily Arabic newspaper will be launched early next year prompting a debate whether Bahrain with a population of 700,000, including 350,000 non-Arabic speakers, can accommodate the flood.

"We will start the publication of Al Horriya [Freedom] within two months as we have received the approval of the Ministry of Information," board chairman and editor-in-chief Hamad Al Abbasi said yesterday.

The newspaper, part of Al Alem Press and Publishing Company, will have 20 bureaus in Arab and European countries to ensure a vast network of distribution, Al Abbasi said.

Akhbar Al Khaleej, the oldest newspaper currently in circulation in the country, was launched 30 years ago, followed in 1989 by Al Ayam (The Days), the brainchild of Nabeel Al Hamer, former information minister and current media advisor to His Majesty the King Hamad Bin Eisa Al Khalifa.

Al Wasat (The Centre), started by former Opposition figure Mansoor Al Jamri in 2002, had a less official and more aggressive line of investigation and reporting.

A mainly Shiite newspaper Al Mithaq (The Covenant) was launched in 2004, while the mainly Sunni newspaper Al Watan (The Nation) was launched two weeks ago.

Ebrahim Bashmi, editor-in-chief of Al Waqt (The Time), said the newspaper will hit the stands in January.

"We are aware of a flood of new publications but are confident that with our new style and approach, we will have a large share of the readership," Bashmi told Gulf News.

Al Abbasi echoed Bashmi yesterday. "We have a new style and our line will be different from that of the current newspapers."

Veteran journalist Mohammad Gasra believes that the arrival of two newspapers within two months may reflect positive trends in the democratisation process but not viable from a point of view of business.

"Bahrain has a limited readership and a newspaper has to be exceptional to attract readers from other publications," he said.

"There are qualified journalists and editors who can translate good ideas into interesting stories, attractive layouts and successful editorial policies," he said.