Oman Media Sustainability Index (MSI)
November 2, 2011
About the MSI
IREX designed the MSI to measure the strength and viability of any country’s media sector. The MSI considers all the factors that contribute to a media system—the quality of journalism, effectiveness of management, the legal environment supporting freedom of the press, and more—to arrive at scores on a scale ranging between 0 and 4. These scores represent the strength of the media sector components and can be analyzed over time to chart progress (or regression) within a country. Additionally, countries or regions may be compared to one another. IREX currently conducts the MSI in 80 countries, and produced the first Middle East and North Africa MSI in 2005.
MSI Overview | Africa | Asia | Europe & Eurasia | Middle East & North Africa
Download the Complete Oman MSI Chapter (PDF): 2009 | 2008 | 2006/7 | 2005
MSI Oman - 2009 Introduction
Overall Country Score: 1.90
Dashing hopes that the spreading use of the Internet in Oman could provide a more open alternative to traditional media, in 2009 the Omani government began clamping down. A major turning point was the trial of a web moderator, Ali al Zawaidi, for criticizing the government in a popular Internet forum. The authorities questioned and detained al Zuwaidi for 11 days over an anonymous post that alluded to corruption in the state telecom firm Omantel, and for publishing a cabinet directive aimed at ending live radio phone-ins.
Al Zuwaidi's case was the latest in a series concerning Internet blogs, forums, and websites in Oman. Journalists and bloggers have stated that they view this case as a serious threat to the freedom of expression in the country, and said that it runs counter to the interest of the state's development efforts. MSI panelists said that corruption plagues some institutions, and journalists must have the right to challenge and criticize their state of affairs.
Al Zuwaidi's trail did spark calls for Oman and the Persian Gulf Arab states to ease their grip on the media and improve business transparency. For example, it prompted a joint letter from the Arabic Network for Human Rights information and Reporters Without Borders on March 25, 2009, which expressed great concern over the case. The joint letter, addressed to Sultan Qaboos Bin Said al Said, urged "Please do not let your Kingdom be included among those countries in the region that repress freedom of expression." Al Zuwaidi was eventually fined and given a suspended 10-day jail sentence.
Following Sultan al Said's 2008 order that all Oman journalists undergo training, the quetsion of professional development continued to generate controversy across Oman's media sector. Although many journalists consider training important and effective, others claim that it is useless, as freedom of press and expression is absent. Still, hundreds of journalists participated in the training campaign. The programs taught journalists mainly the basics of the profession, writing skills, investigative journalism, and the relationship between mainstream media and new media.
One panelist working for Oman said that the programs are very helpful, but not really new. She noted that the working environment is the most important issue for journalists. Many journalists are professional enough to practice media, she emphasized—the problem is the supervisors who play the role of gatekeepers. One of the more popular seminars, "Omanization in Journalism and the Media," addressed the huge unemployment rate among Omanis—around 20 percent—and the competition between Omani journalists and foreigners in the English print and broadcast media outlets. Given the pool of skilled Arab journalists, inexperienced young Omani graduates find it hard to compete.
