Newseum of the Future

For 44 years Khaleej Times — which was born on April 16, 1978—has chronicled the future. While we did so with stories of a changing nation in a changing world, our own future was changing as well. Readers were getting younger, stories were getting shorter, content was being consumed on screens at the flick of a finger. Media had become multimedia.

Even as newsrooms were chanting digital first, mobile first was becoming the dominant content model. Audiences, formerly called readers, are now deciding what content clicks and what doesn’t. Data—unique visits, engagement time, etc—influence the hierarchy and longevity of stories. Technology is helping KT’s writers to target diverse audiences across the nation and the world. Stories are customised for various social platforms.

Our writers think visually; assemble text, audio and visual assets; stitch them together in linear fashion; test the headlines and finally publish them. Journalism has changed dramatically since 1978; in automotive terms, it’s like moving from the Oldsmobile to the Tesla. Soon, metaverse will script our future.

Some reckon auto is the most disrupted business in the world; if so, publishing is a close second. Success depends on your ability to keep pace with your customer. Pivot or perish.

Understanding, and delighting, your audiences is a journey full of learnings. It has made KT flexible, focused and proactive. It has enriched what we have been doing all these years: journalism. It has reinforced our core value: credibility. Today we showcase some of our best efforts over the years: our front pages. Each one is artfully designed to increase user experience with an eye on the future. No page is the same. Each page is an exercise in imagination. Our newsroom is happy to call our eclectic collection (see pages 9-20) the Newseum of the Future.

We would like to remind ourselves that the future belongs to those that never tire of innovation. Our new design, architected by Dr Mario Garcia, is proof of that. In KT’s launch edition, the then editor, Malcolm C. Payne, wrote: “We regard ourselves as an international newspaper, but first and foremost as part of the unique federation which is the UAE. It is our intention to assist at all times in the growth of the federation, for as our nation of states progresses so will we share in the golden future on the threshold of which we now stand.”

We are proud to renew that commitment.

— Editor