Tariq Alhomayed is a journalist and former Editor-in-Chief of the Arabic-language newspaper ''
Asharq Alawsat
''Asharq Al-Awsat'' ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, Aš-Šarq al-ʾAwsaṭ, meaning "The Middle East") is an Arabic international newspaper headquartered in London. A pioneer of the "off-shore" model in the Arabic press, the paper is often noted f ...
'', the youngest person to be appointed that position. a host of Almooqf TV show on the Saudi TV. Alhomyed has been a guest analyst and commentator on numerous news and current affair programs including the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
,
German TV
Television in Germany began in Berlin on 22 March 1935, broadcasting for 90 minutes three times a week. It was home to the first public television station in the world, named '' Fernsehsender Paul Nipkow''.
In 2000, the German television market ...
,
Al Arabiya
Arabiya ( ar, العربية, transliterated: '; meaning "The Arabic One" or "The Arab One") is an international Arabic news television channel, currently based in Dubai, that is operated by the media conglomerate MBC.
The channel is a ...
,
Al-Hurra
Al-hurra or al hurra () was an Arabic title historically often given to, or used to refer to, women who exercised power or had a position of power or high status.
In a harem, the title al-hurra was often used to refer to a legal wife of aristocr ...
,
LBC
LBC (originally the London Broadcasting Company) is a British phone-in and talk radio station owned and operated by Global and based in its headquarters in London. It was the UK's first licensed commercial radio station, and began to broadcast ...
and the acclaimed Imad Live’s four-part series on terrorism and reformation in
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries by area, fifth-largest country in Asia ...
.
Education
Alhomayed received a Bachelor of Arts degree in
media studies from
King Abdul Aziz University in
Jeddah.
Career
Alhomayed began his journalism career as a correspondent for ''
Al Madina newspaper'' in
Washington D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, Na ...
from 1998 to August 2000. He served as the Managing Editor of ''Asharq Alawsat'' in
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries by area, fifth-largest country in Asia ...
and head of the paper's Jeddah bureau from 2003 to 2004, before becoming Editor-in-Chief.
Over the years Alhomayed has had many exclusive interviews and stories. He was the first journalist to conduct an interview with
Osama Bin Ladin
Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden (10 March 1957 – 2 May 2011) was a Saudi-born extremist militant who founded al-Qaeda and served as its leader from 1988 until his death in 2011. Ideologically a pan-Islamist, his group is designated a ...
's mother. After British tabloid ''
The Sun'' printed pictures of Saddam Hussein as a prisoner, Alhomayed bought rights from the ''Sun'', and ''Asharq Al Awsat'' was the only Arab newspaper to publish the picture of Saddam Hussein washing his clothes. It was reported around the world that ''Asharq Al Awsat'' had printed that picture on its front page.
Alhomayed relied heavily on syndications with respected newspapers and news agencies to re-publish their stories; by crediting them, he took ''Asharq Alawsat'' a step ahead of common practice in the Middle East in terms of respecting
intellectual property
Intellectual property (IP) is a category of property that includes intangible creations of the human intellect. There are many types of intellectual property, and some countries recognize more than others. The best-known types are patents, cop ...
rights.
Alhomayed launched several weekly supplements in ''Asharq Al Awsat'', including ''Al Siyaha'' (Free Weekly Health Magazine), ''Alam Alriyadh'' (Free Weekly Sport's Magazine), ''Al Aqar'' (Real Estate), ''Azwak'' (Fashion and Style), ''Mazakat'' (Food Taste), ''Al Watar Al Sadis'' (Sixth String – TV, Cinema and Songs), ''Al Elaam'' (Media), ''Al Muntada Al Thakafi'' (Culture Forum) and ''Hasad Al Usbo'' (Week Harvest).
Alhomayed introduced the concept of an
Ombudsman to the newspaper, meaning an anonymous editor who writes a weekly critique of the newspaper's performance under a column called "Al Muraqeb Al Sahafi" (Journalism Monitor). From 2004, ''Asharq Al Awsat's'' Ombudsman wrote extensively including a number of highly critical articles, but these came to a sudden stop. On 27 September 2010, nearly 4 years after the Ombudsman column was stopped, Alhomayed announced that the column would be continued, revealed for the first time that it was the late
Ahmed Al Rabey Ahmed Al-Rubei ( ar, احمد الربعي) (1949, Al Murqab, Kuwait – 5 March 2008) was a prominent liberal Kuwaiti politician, journalist, and professor. He graduated from Harvard University with a PhD in Islamic philosophy. He was elected as a ...
(a famous Kuwaiti journalist) who used to write the column in its previous format, and explained that the column had stopped due to Al Rabey's illness and death.
Alhomayed is widely criticised for publishing a series of vindictive articles about the State of
Qatar
Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it ...
between 2004 and 2008, a period that witnessed a disturbance in Saudi/Qatari official relations.
[Dysch, Marcus (July 24, 2008)]
"Apology to Qatar PM for 'Israel visit' claims"
''The Jewish Chronicle Online'', accessed 1 November 2011.
In July 2008 Alhomayed apologized at the High Court in London "for any embarrassment" caused.
Alhomayed's era witnessed some major Saudi-related stories being ignored or censored, such as the Saudi princess who was granted asylum in the UK after facing death threats in her country for giving birth to 'love-child' of a British citizen.
The ''Washington Post'' editor
Jim Hoagland
Jimmie Lee Hoagland (born January 22, 1940) is a Pulitzer prize-winning American journalist. He is a contributing editor to '' The Washington Post,'' since 2010, previously serving as an associate editor, senior foreign correspondent, and columni ...
characterised Almohayed in 2009 as "a courageous columnist". Alhomayed oversaw the launch of an iPad app for ''Asharq Al Awsat'' in 2011. On 1 January 2013, Alhomayed was replaced by Adel Al Toraifi as editor of ''Asharq Al Awsat''.
Critics of Alhomayed claim he bans ''Asharq Al Awsat'' writers who are highly critical of Saudi Arabia or its allies. Alhomayed responded to
Mona Eltahawy
Mona Eltahawy ( ar, منى الطحاوى, ; born August 1, 1967) is a freelance Egyptian-American journalist and social commentator based in New York City. She has written essays and op-eds for publications worldwide on Egypt and the Islamic wor ...
in both the English and Arabic version of ''Asharq Al Awsat''.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alhomayed, Tariq
Saudi Arabian newspaper editors
Living people
George Washington University alumni
Year of birth missing (living people)
King Abdulaziz University alumni