Commentary: Media in the UAE: The Abu Dhabi powerhouse

Authors

Alma Kadragic, University of Wollongong DubaiFollow

Abstract

On April 17, 2008 the first issue of The National was published in Abu Dhabi, which was possibly the last startup of a major daily newspaper in the world. Top journalists were recruited from the UK, US and Canada. Founding editor-in-chief Martin Newland had previously edited the UK's Daily Telegraph and was deputy editor for the startup of Canada's National Post. Hassan Fattah, former Middle East correspondent for the New York Times, became deputy editor under Newland and replaced him 14 months after the launch. High salaries were paid to attract stars, including GBP320,000 (about USD512,000) annually to Newland, discovered when salaries were leaked en masse to an internet site. A state of the art convergence newsroom was created complete with news management software and a wheel and spoke layout for editors and sections. From the beginning the paper's website included video and additional digital content.

Recommended Citation

Kadragic, Alma, Commentary: Media in the UAE: The Abu Dhabi powerhouse, Asia Pacific Media Educator, 20, 2010, 247-252.
Available at:https://ro.uow.edu.au/apme/vol1/iss20/25