FROM PRESS BOOM TO CONSOLIDATION: THE CIRCULATION OF PALESTINIAN ARABIC PERIODICALS IN THE LATE OTTOMAN ERA (1908 – 1914)

Abstract

This article examines private Palestinian Arabic periodicals established during the Second Ottoman Constitutional Era, shedding light on the shifts and transformations within the press market during this dynamic period. Its aim is to piece together the circulation and distribution patterns of these publications. The research explores various facets, such as subscriber statistics, the geographical distribution of readership, and the pricing strategies. Following the Young Turk Revolution, there was a great expansion in journalistic endeavours, resulting in the establishment of numerous periodicals based in the three urban centres of Jerusalem, Jaffa and Haifa. However, the ensuing years witnessed a gradual consolidation, so that by the outbreak of World War I, only a fraction of the Arabic periodicals founded earlier continued operations. These publications followed diverse trajectories: some folded quickly owing to the fierce competition and the multitude of challenges plaguing journalistic activities, while others experienced a gradual decline but managed to sustain operations for an extended period. By contrast, the most successful among them strengthened their position by attracting prominent advertisers, actively engaging with the crucial issues of the era, introducing innovative practices, and consistently expanding their readership base, ultimately reaching their peak at the outbreak of WWI.

Keywords

• newspaper circulation
• ottoman palestinian arabic press
• filasṭīn
• al-karmal