The first local newspaper in Bahrain was Al Bahrayn which was published between 1939 and 1944. [1]
Bahrain's Information Affairs Authority reported that the number of newspapers in 1999 was four which were published in Arabic and English languages. [2] There were a total of 12 dailies and weeklies in the country in 2012. [2]
Below is a list of the newspapers published in Bahrain.
| Title (Arabic title in parentheses) | Frequency | Type | Language | Publication city(ies) | Year established | Editorial political affiliation | Circulation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Akhbar Al Khaleej (أخبار الخليج) | daily | Newspaper (print, online) | Arabic | 1976 | Pro-government, Arab Nationalist | ||
| Al Ayam (الأيام) | daily | Newspaper (print, online) | Arabic | 1989 | |||
| Al Bilad (البلاد) | daily | Newspaper (print, online) | Arabic | 2008 | |||
| Al-Waqt ( الوقت) | daily | CLOSED | Arabic | 2006-2010 | |||
| Al-Wasat ( الوسط) | daily | Newspaper (print, online) | Arabic | Manama | 2002 | ||
| Al-Watan ( الوطن) | daily | Newspaper (print, online) | Arabic | 2005 | |||
| Daily Tribune | daily | New Generation Newspaper | English | Manama | 2015 | ||
| Gulf Daily News | daily | Newspaper (print, online) | English | Manama | 1978 | ||
| Gulf Madhyamam | daily | Newspaper (print, online) | Malayalam | - | 1999 | ||
| Middle East Chandrika | daily | Newspaper (print, online) | Malayalam | - | 2007 | ||
| Malayala Manorama | daily | Newspaper (print, online) | Malayalam | - | 1888 | ||
| Gulf Thejas | daily | Newspaper (print, online) | Malayalam | - | 2012 | ||
The Gulf Daily News (GDN) is an English-language local newspaper published in the Kingdom of Bahrain by Al Hilal Group. The paper, which is one of six daily newspapers in Bahrain, calls itself "The Voice of Bahrain". Al Hilal Group publishes 13 other newspapers and magazines, including the local Arabic language newspaper Akhbar Al Khaleej.
Al-Wefaq National Islamic Society, sometimes shortened to simply Al-Wefaq, is a Shi'a Bahraini political party operating clandestinely after being ordered by the highest court in Bahrain to be dissolved and liquidated. Although from 2006 to 2011 it was by far the single largest party in the Bahraini legislature, with 18 representatives in the 40-member Bahraini parliament, it was often outvoted by coalition blocs of opposition Sunni parties and independent MPs reflecting gerrymandering of electoral districts. On 27 February 2011, the 18 Al-Wefaq members of parliament submitted letters of resignation to protest regime violence against pro-reform Bahraini protestors.
Akhbar Al Khaleej is a Bahraini daily publication. It is the sister paper of the English language daily, Gulf Daily News.
Bahrain's record on human rights has been described by Human Rights Watch as "dismal", and having "deteriorated sharply in the latter half of 2010". Their subsequent report in 2020 noted that the human rights situation in the country had not improved.
Mansoor al-Jamri is a Bahraini columnist, author, human rights activist and former opposition leader. He is the editor-in-chief of Al-Wasat, an Arabic language independent daily newspaper. He is also the second son of the Shia spiritual leader Sheikh Abdul-Amir al-Jamri, who died in 2006.
Al Ayam is an Arabic newspaper published in Bahrain and based in Manama. AlAyam Publishing was established on 7 March 1989, by a group of young Bahraini journalists which was unique in the Arab world. It is founded by the former information minister, Nabeel Al Hamer.
Bahrain, officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, is an island country in Western Asia. It is situated on the Persian Gulf, and comprises a small archipelago made up of 50 natural islands and an additional 33 artificial islands, centered on Bahrain Island which makes up around 83 percent of the country's landmass. Bahrain is situated between Qatar and the northeastern coast of Saudi Arabia, to which it is connected by the King Fahd Causeway. According to the 2020 census, the country's population numbers 1,501,635, of which 712,362 are Bahraini nationals. Bahrain spans some 760 square kilometres (290 sq mi), and is the third-smallest nation in Asia after the Maldives and Singapore. The capital and largest city is Manama.
Al-Wasat, also Alwasat, was 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 Baháʼí Faith in Bahrain begins with a precursor movement, the Shaykhís coming out of Bahrain into Iran. Abu'l-Qásim Faizi and wife lived in Bahrain in the 1940s. Around 1963 the first Local Spiritual Assembly of Bahrain was elected in the capital of Manama. In the 1980s, many anti-Baháʼí polemics were published in local newspapers of the Bahrain. Recent estimates count some 1,000 Baháʼís or 0.2% of the national population or a little more by Association of Religion Data Archives estimated there were some 2,832 Baháʼís in 2010. According to the Bahraini government the combined percentage of Christians, Jews, Hindus and Baháʼís is 0.2%.
The 2011Bahraini uprising was a series of anti-government protests in Bahrain led by the Shia-dominant and some Sunni minority Bahraini opposition from 2011 until 2014. The protests were inspired by the unrest of the 2011 Arab Spring and protests in Tunisia and Egypt and escalated to daily clashes after the Bahraini government repressed the revolt with the support of the Gulf Cooperation Council and Peninsula Shield Force. The Bahraini protests were a series of demonstrations, amounting to a sustained campaign of non-violent civil disobedience and some violent resistance in the Persian Gulf country of Bahrain. As part of the revolutionary wave of protests in the Middle East and North Africa following the self-immolation of Mohamed Bouazizi in Tunisia, the Bahraini protests were initially aimed at achieving greater political freedom and equality for the 70% Shia population.
The Cabinet of Bahrain is the chief executive body of the Kingdom of Bahrain. According to Article 32 (b) of the 2002 Constitution, "executive authority is vested in the King together with the Council of Ministers and Ministers". The Council of Ministers (Cabinet) is appointed directly by the King . Bahrain has had only two Prime Ministers since the country's independence in 1971, Khalifah ibn Sulman al-Khalifah, the uncle of the reigning King Hamad ibn Isa al-Khalifah. Khalifah ibn Sulman al-Khalifah died on 11 November 2020, and was succeeded by the King's son, Crown Prince Salman. As of 2010, roughly half of the cabinet ministers have been selected from the Al Khalifa family, including the Minister of Defence, Minister of Interior, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Finance, and Minister of Justice and Islamic Affairs.
Arab News is an English-language daily newspaper published in Saudi Arabia. It is published from Riyadh. The target audiences of the paper which is published in broadsheet are businessmen, executives and diplomats.
Al Watan is an Arabic daily newspaper published in Manama, Bahrain. It is known to have pro-government stance.
The Information Affairs Authority (IAA) is Bahrain's ministry of information that was formed in July 2010. The president of IAA is appointed directly by the King of Bahrain and has the rank of a minister in the Bahrain government. From July 2010 to 2012, Fawaz bin Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Khalifa was President of IAA. In 2012, he relinquished the position to take up an appointment as Minister of State for Communication, and Sameera Rajab was appointed in his place.
The media of Bahrain mainly consists of several weekly and daily newspapers, with the Information Affairs Authority controlling Bahrain's state-owned Bahrain Radio and Television Corporation, which broadcasts radio and television services. The media is predominately in Arabic though English language and Malayalam newspapers are beginning to emerge in the country. The IAA also controls the Bahrain News Agency which monitors, originates and relays national and international news in Arabic and English, usually generating from 90 to 150 stories a day. Bahrain Telecommunication Company, trading as Batelco, is Bahrain's sole Internet service provider. In 2015, there were an estimated 1.29 million internet user, a penetration of 96.4%.
Bilateral relations exist between the State of Qatar and the Kingdom of Bahrain. They first began in 1971.
Al Bilad is an Arabic daily newspaper published in Bahrain.
The Kingdom of Bahrain is deemed ‘Not Free’ in terms of Net Freedom and Press Freedom by Freedom House. The 2016 World Press Freedom Index by Reporters Without Borders ranked Bahrain 162nd out of 180 countries.
Fawaz bin Mohammed Al Khalifa is a Bahraini member of the House of Khalifa and since 2015 has been Bahrain's Ambassador to the United Kingdom.
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