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General Information » Further Reading » Newspapers & Magazines

Newspapers and magazines are available from bookshops, supermarkets, petrol stations, grocery shops and hotel shops. There are no street sellers at present. You will probably be provided with one of the local papers or a copy of Oman 2day in your room if you are staying in a good hotel.

The Oman Daily Observer, the Times of Oman and the Oman Tribune (200 baisas each) are the three daily English newspapers. You'll usually find various colour supplements in the Thursday editions. The Week is a free tabloid published every Wednesday and distributed from branded stands that can be found in various locations around Muscat. You'll almost always be able to find a copy at your nearest Starbucks or Al Fair. While these newspapers aim to keep Oman's English-speaking residents abreast of news and events in the region, the editorial quality can be somewhat dubious. As is the case across the region, Oman's newspapers operate under the heavy hand of censorship. Censorship means that you will rarely read anything negative about the country, which can result in a false sense of security regarding crime and personal safety. Read between the lines! The Week is a free tabloid published every Wednesday. The Arabic language newspapers are Al Watan, Al Shabiba and Oman Daily.

Foreign daily tabloid newspapers, mainly American, Asian, British, French and German, are available in hotel bookshops and supermarkets, although they are usually a lot more expensive than they are back home and a few days out of date. They will also be without extras like supplements and gifts. Hobby magazines, such as computing, photography, sports and women’s magazines are also available, but are very expensive.

Although the Press Act supposedly allows freedom of speech, the public media exercise rigorous self-censorship. The internet is monitored and any site deemed offensive to the religious, moral, cultural or political principles of the country will be inaccessible. Publications are also censored for political, moral, religious and cultural reasons, and you'll often find that certain images or articles hae received the infamous 'black marker' treatment. Many expats stock up with glossy magazines every time they travel, and then distribute them among their friends upon their return!

There are a number of decent publications available in English. Many are published in the UAE and cover a variety of topics: ID is an interior design magazine, Oman 2day and Living in the Gulf cover lifestyle, Al Mara, Emirates Woman and Hello! Middle East cover...

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This excerpt was taken from

Oman Explorer
Series: Complete Residents Guides