KT celebrates The Year of giving

GIVING IS AN ANTHEM. It sounds simple but it defines who we are: our values, our philosophy, our language. It is often called the ultimate human emotion; to give is to ennoble oneself. To give is to realise the reason to be.

Khaleej Times welcomes, and celebrates, The Year of Giving by making a promise to its readers: We will strive to make a difference to your lives. We have a lot to learn from our readers just as we have a lot to share. The giving universe is a sharing universe that treats readers as equals and givers as friends.

Giving is deeply transformative. Announcing 2017 as The Year of Giving, the President, His Highness Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, spoke about the culture of giving back to the community and enhancing the spirit of volunteering and loyalty to the country.

Giving goes beyond giving. “Giving is not only donations or charity, but real giving is making a difference,” explained His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.

Working together and making a difference are two qualities that differentiate a great newspaper from the rest. How can a newspaper work along with its readers to make a difference to their lives? How can a newspaper stop thinking of itself as a newsmaker and become a friend, mentor and guide? How can a newspaper look beyond eyeballs, shares and likes and be truly caring? How can a newspaper think beyond informing readers, and simply inspire?

Giving is an idea that is both simple and philosophical. In its simplicity, the act of giving is about showcasing happy stories, interacting with readers to respectfully address their grievances, reaching out to communities, educating and enlightening society, and making them aware of the worlds they live in by offering diverse perspectives.

But giving can be seen another way, one that treats readership as kinship, fostering values that define a nation. As a verb, give has many synonyms: inform, disseminate, empower, educate, engage, entertain. But none is as profound or wholesome as give. As a newspaper grows into an uber-newspaper or a giving newspaper, it seeks growth with purpose, modernity with meaning and readership with fulfillment. That fulfillment is the pleasing outcome of giving.

It is a goal Khaleej Times has set for itself in 2017 and the years to come: to make giving a given in our readership manifesto.