Al-Wafd
Daily newspaper published by the Wafd party in Giza, Egypt
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Al-Wafd (Arabic: الوفد meaning the Mission in English)[1] is the daily newspaper published by the Wafd party in Giza, Egypt.
| Type | Daily |
|---|---|
| Format | Broadsheet |
| Owner | Wafd Party |
| Publisher | Wafd Party |
| Founded | 1984 |
| Political alignment | Opposition (Centre-right, National liberalism, Egyptian nationalism) |
| Headquarters | Dokki, Giza, Egypt |
| Website | Al Wafd |
History and profile
Al-Wafd was launched in 1984.[2][3] As the house organ of the liberal-democratic neo-Wafd party, the paper is considered an opposition paper,[4] although both party and paper have oscillated between support and opposition for the regime.
It is one of the highest circulated papers among those dailies owned by a political party in the country.[5] The paper sold more than half a million copies in the 1990s.[6] The circulation of the daily in 2000 was 600,000 copies.[7]
Mohamed Ali Ibrahim was named as the editor-in-chief of the paper in 2005.[citation needed] Then Abbas Al Tarabili served as the editor-in-chief until February 2009.[8] During the Egyptian revolution in 2011 Osama Heikal was the editor-in-chief.[9] He was appointed information minister in July 2011.[9]
The paper has also an online version, called Al Wafd Gate.[10]
Controversy
Abbas Al Tarabili, then chief editor of the daily, was fired in February 2009 due to low circulation rates that were between 9,000 and 10,000.[8]
On 4 September 2013, the paper portrayed the US President Barack Obama as Satan due to his support for opposition forces in Syria.[11]
