Al-Wasat (Bahraini newspaper)
Al-Wasat logo
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| Type | Daily Newspaper |
|---|---|
| Format | Broadsheet |
| Owner(s) | Private Sector's investors, Chairman (Adel Al Maskati) |
| Founder(s) | Mansoor Al-Jamri |
| Publisher | Dar Al-Wasat for Publishing and Distribution BSC (c) |
| Editor-in-chief | Mansoor Al-Jamri |
| Founded | 7 September 2002 |
| Political alignment | Independent |
| Language | Arabic |
| Headquarters | Manama, Bahrain |
| Circulation | 30,000 |
| Website | alwasatnews.com |
Al-Wasat (Arabic: الوسط), also "Alwasat", is an Arabic-language daily newspaper in Manama, Bahrain. Al-Wasat was generally regarded as the only independent newspaper in Bahrain. The newspaper ran for 15 years, during which is provided reporting unique to Bahrain.
The Government of Bahrain forcibly closed the newspaper on 4 June 2017, in a move which Amnesty International termed an "all-out campaign to end independent reporting".
Al Wasat was established in 2002. The newspaper was established after the early reforms adopted by King Hamad bin Isa. Allowing a key oppositional figure to establish this newspaper was seen as a key event in the opening up of society. Before Al Wasat was established, Bahrain had only two Arabic newspapers, Akhbar Al Khaleej and Al Ayam, both of which were viewed as extremely pro-government. Its founders are Mansoor Al-Jamri and leading personalities from the Bahraini private sector. Al-Jamri is the editor-in-chief since the foundation of the newspaper in 2002. He was temporarily forced out of his position between 3 April 2011 until 4 August 2011 during a government crackdown on journalists and the press during the Arab Spring.
Al Wasat was the most popular newspaper in Bahrain and was generally regarded as the only daily that does not take a loyalist stand to the Bahraini government. It was the first Bahraini newspaper to reflect opposing viewpoints.
The paper was ranked as the top newspaper in terms of circulation and impact in the kingdom of Bahrain by the Pan-Arab Research Center in its survey in 2012. The paper was ranked of the top of index of credibility by the "Media Credibility Index" issued by Next Century Foundation in London on 5 May 2012. The paper's online version was the 15th most visited website for 2010 in the MENA region.
Mansoor Al-Jamri is recipient of the CPJ International Press Freedom Awards in 2011 and the International Media Peace Award 2012.
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