Nasser Mohammed Al-Othman

Newspapers in GCC countries have been urged to avoid laying off journalists in a hurry due to the slowdown following a sharp drop in the oil prices.

“Gulf newspapers either going through or likely to go through financial difficulties should not rush into laying off loyal journalists, and to fairly compensate them in case they have to resort to this option,” Nasser Mohammed Al-Othman, secretary-general of the Gulf Press Association (GPA), said on Monday.

He also called upon newspapers to try to use those who are being laid off from other newspapers “because they should not lose experienced journalists who are the backbone of this march in addition to the youth who recently joined this profession.”

“That’s an essential indispensable weapon in such circumstances,” Al-Othman added.

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