PREMIER ARABIC-ENGLISH NEWS PORTAL, RUN BY SHARJAH GOVERNMENT MEDIA BUREAU, TOASTES SUCCESS AS IT MARKS SECOND ANNIVERSARY 

Sharjah, March 2, 2017:  Sharjah 24, the premier Arabic and English news portal dedicated to Sharjah and the UAE, celebrated its second anniversary in style today (Thursday, March 2, 2017) in the presence of HE Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qasimi, Chairman of Sharjah Media Council (SMC) and Tariq Saeed Allay, Director of Sharjah Government Media Bureau, besides senior Sharjah government officials and members of media.     

Speaking on the occasion, Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qasimi said that the tremendous success of Sharjah 24, emerging as the Emirate’s window to the world is a source of pride to all of Sharjah and the UAE. He said: “We are celebrating the second anniversary of Sharjah 24 with the confidence that this is just the beginning of an exciting journey and that the news portal will traverse greater heights and offer greater diversity and coverage in times ahead.”

Sharjah 24 was launched two years ago by Sharjah Government Media Bureau, earlier known as Sharjah Media Centre, as part of the vision of His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohamed al Qasimi, Member of Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, following a decree by HH the Ruler.   

Strong Emirati Identity
Sharjah 24 made its debut with a strong Emirati identity from Sharjah, the capital of culture and intellect, as part of the vision of HH the Ruler of Sharjah, and it has emerged as the voice of the Emirate and complements Sharjah’s – and UAE’s -- media profile and message, said Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qasimi. 

“In a fast-changing era of electronic media and digital publishing, Sharjah 24 has come to occupy a special place and has emerged as an important medium of communication between various regions and continents. The news portal has registered remarkable success in the shortest possible time, despite the fact that it was launched from a scratch with few resources,” said the SMC Chairman.  

He expressed his pleasure that the dedicated Sharjah 24 team has been sparing no effort to cover Sharjah, the UAE and the Arab world at large in all their diversity and complexity.  It has been providing a visual documentation of various events and activities in the Emirate and the country and has emerged as the main and authentic source and reference point for various government entities and media in Sharjah and at the national level, including WAM. 

Successful Model, Global Outreach 
Speaking on the occasion, Tariq Saeed Allay, Director of SGMB said that the remarkable success and excellence achieved by Sharjah 24 suggests that the objectives behind the news portal have been achieved, ensuring a global presence and outreach of the Emirate.  He said that the digital publishing has emerged as a popular and successful platform in international media today as it offers a great deal of options, audio-visual archives and is not limited by space constraints.  Allay said that the SGMB is very pleased with the success achieved by the news portal and looks forward to more such milestones in the journey of serving the people of Sharjah and UAE.  

Fatma Ibrahim, Editor in Chief of Sharjah 24, said that Sharjah 24 is proud to be the first government news portal that complements the media march of Sharjah and the UAE.  “We do not seek competition as much as we aim to reflect the rich experience of our society to add to what the Emirate has achieved in various sectors,” she said pointing out that so far Sharjah 24 has published some 78,382 Arabic and English news.

“Today, Sharjah 24 is competing with the best of Arabic and English news media in the UAE and the region,” she added.  

Working 24/7 and updating itself all the time, Sharjah 24 keeps readers abreast of all happenings and developments in the Emirate and the world around them, he said pointing out that the news portal is now available in English as well.  The English version was launched last year.  

Covering all activities and news of the UAE leadership and government departments and officials, Sharjah 24 also offers a mindboggling diversity of options to site visitors, including a comprehensive coverage of world affairs, Arab world, politics, culture, sports, entertainment, family, health and arts.  It also features a strong and diverse variety of opinion articles and interviews etc.