On this day, and on the occasion of the fifty-fifth anniversary of the Jordanian Press Foundation/ OpinionA number of its “emancipated” sons who left it congratulated the newspaper and its employees, and recalled their long experience with it.
The health conditions of a number of other colleagues prevented them from talking about this trip, wishing… Opinion And her family, success in carrying out her national mission.
And it worked “Opinion» During the years in which the profession of journalism was impeded, it was on a hot plate after opinions varied about all the news, articles, investigations, and cartoons it presented. Its editorial policy was also subjected to closure, time and time again..
Today, you bear witness “Opinion» At this stage, there was a transition in the media profession and what is called digital media to be a synonym for what it specialized in as a daily paper newspaper, in which it formed “A platform» It has been influential for more than half a century, despite the political and economic conditions facing Jordan, and the financial turmoil that struck the nerve of the entire print media..
Colleagues Samir Al-Hayari, Ibrahim Al-Awaisheh, Menem Fakhoury, and Muhammad Wahish, I gathered them together “Opinion» Under its roof, despite the varying years of service, Al-Awaisheh is considered the first person to contemporize the newspaper since its founding. So what did they say?
Al-Hayari: I entered it as a trainee
I was a student at the Faculty of Mass Communication at King Abdulaziz University in Saudi Arabia in 1979. I began and continued training in… “Opinion» During my school years, the newspaper was led by giant professors: Juma Hammad, Suleiman Arar, Mahmoud Al-Kayed, Muhammad Al-Amad, and Raja Al-Issa.
I was appointed on June 1, 1983, and progressed through all positions in the profession, as a trainee, delegate, editor, department head, editorial secretary, and editorial director, until I served as editor-in-chief and chairman of the board of directors..
This long journey allowed me to know colleagues besides the giants I mentioned.
It wasn’t “Opinion» In those stages, strangers were accepted, to take up positions as editor-in-chief or chairman of the board of directors, and I mean by strangers who were paid by some governments, without their professional specialization, in contrast to colleagues who lived through the institution and left clear imprints, such as Ibrahim Sakkajha, Suleiman Al-Qudah, Hashem Khreisat, George Hawatmeh, Abdel-Wahab Zaghilat, Majeed Asfour, all the way to colleagues Tariq Al-Moumni, Rakan Al-Saeeda, and the current president, Dr.. Khaled Al-Shaqran, while the presidency of the Board of Directors was assumed by colleagues Abdul Salam Al-Tarawneh, Dr. Khaled Al-Karaki, Dr. Fahd Al-Fanek, Ali Al-Ayed, Ramadan Al-Rawashdeh, Samih Al-Maaytah, Muhammad Al-Tal, Dr. Maher Al-Madadha, and Shehada Abu Baqr..
At the general manager level, colleagues were Mohammed Al-Amad, Nader Al-Hourani, Imran Khair, and Farid Al-Salwani.
In other press sites, the local and delegates department was filled with colleagues such as Hashem Khreisat, Majeed Asfour, Abdullah Hijazi, Youssef Al-Absi, Abdullah Al-Nsour, Mamdouh Hawamdeh, Ahmed Krishan, Imad Al-Hamoud, Abdul Rahman Al-Aboushi, and the list goes on..
As for investigations and follow-up, it was carried out by colleagues Abdullah Al-Atoum, Omar Abandah, and Ali Abu Tabanja, all three of whom worked in the agency. “Petra».
The Sports Department, led by Professor Nazmi Al-Saeed, played a major role in the spread of the newspaper, and alongside him was a capable work team that included colleagues Samir Jenkat, Dr. Bassam Haroun, Abdel Moneim Abu Touq and others, before another generation of young people continued the leadership and work of the department..
And it was “Opinion» It has political, economic and cultural writers, including colleagues Tariq Masarwa, Fahd Al-Funk, Dr. Muhammad Naji Amayra, Badr Abdel-Haqq, Fakhri Kawar, Ahmed Salama, Bassem Sakkajha, Ibrahim Al-Ajlouni, Dr. Salah Jarrar, Ahmed Al-Musleh, Salah Abdel-Samad, and others, before joining the family. Opinion Writer Abdul Hadi Raji Al-Majali.
As for the Economic Department, I mention those who worked in it at that stage: colleague Issam Qadmani, colleague Rania al-Hindi, and colleague Jumana Ghunaimat..
I cannot fail to mention the efforts of the financial, technical and advertising departments, as colleague Rabah Al-Saghir was prominent in drawing caricatures before colleague Imad Hajjaj joined, just as the advertising department had a great responsibility headed by colleague Salim Samawi and his assistant colleague Nayef Tarawneh..
Pitfalls
I faced “Opinion» Pitfalls that began with its nationalization during the era of one of the governments when it removed the founders and owners of the newspaper, and brought in Professor Rakan Al-Majali as editor-in-chief, replacing Professor Mahmoud Al-Kayed..
Clash with governments
I lived with prime ministers from my appointment until my departure “Opinion» There was always a clash with them, because of some headlines, news, pictures, stories, reports, and in many situations, but the state’s fear of the newspaper was greater than any interference, and freedom of the press was the winner in the end..
Disturbing interviews
I remember that I conducted an interview with former Prime Minister Abdel Raouf Rawabdeh, in which he talked about how he was informed of leaving the government, and it was published. Opinion The details were blamed on the newspaper, and we were blamed for publishing it.
I also remember an interview with the former Prime Minister, Marouf Al-Bakhit, about the negative measures taken during the parliamentary elections. Al-Bakhit blamed the Minister of the Interior at the time, so the ministry issued a statement and held the president responsible. The result was that we are in “Opinion» We bear responsibility for publishing.
Funny things
One of the funny things that happened at work “Opinion» It aroused the anger of one of the ministers, when the then Minister of Industry and Trade, Muhammad Asfour, visited Iraq, so we published the news under the title “A bird flies to Iraq» The minister went crazy, and in the end he was convinced that there was no abuse.
In an article I wrote with “Opinion» I said about the exam that the Journalists Syndicate holds for colleagues: «If the examiner asked me: How many electricity poles are there in the town of Sabha and Subhiya? Is it possible for me to know this number?»
When I received threats and intimidations from the mayor, and that the article was an insult to the people of the region, I informed the editor-in-chief, and he called the mayor and explained to him the significance and that it was just a proverb, nothing more..
A president and three ministers
At one stage of my work in… “Opinion» I was asking myself while I held the position of Chairman of the Board of Directors: How can I be president of a council whose membership includes three information ministers:: Saleh Al-Qalab, Nasouh Al-Majali, and Ali Al-Ayed?!
Al-Awaisha: I graduated statesmen
newspaper Opinion.. The oak of the Jordanian press, the big, warm house, with its one united family, is the companion, the companion, and the loyal vinegar, the companion of readers and those searching for the word and truthful news..
For 55 years, it has been a newspaper Opinion A school for universal free speech, which has graduated from among its successive generations many statesmen and officials at various levels..
I remember that I applied for appointment to the newspaper at the beginning of its founding, and the newspaper’s general director at the time, Nizar Al-Rafi’i, agreed to appoint me in the financial department./ The Collections Department, and then I began to gain the necessary experience in financial and accounting work, and I gradually worked until I took over as head of the Payroll and Social Security Department, and then as Head of Personnel Affairs, until my retirement in the year 2003.. To be honored, by the General Manager, my brother and colleague, Mr. Nader Al-Hourani, with the Distinguished Employee Shield.
I experienced Opinion Since the first months of its founding in 1971, and over a period of more than 32 years, I have not found anything in it other than a mother who is compassionate to her children, and I have found nothing but the desire of her children to give their best efforts to advance her. Opinion Its reputation is increasing in the sky of the Jordanian and Arab press. Where I remember the early days when he had children Opinion Regardless of their job titles, they come to help distribute the newspaper to kiosks and points of sale, and how everyone was at the heart of one man for the sake of success. Opinion And I raised it.
Despite the crises she went through, she remained Opinion It will remain steadfast in the face of changes and storms, through the efforts of its sincere and loyal sons, generation after generation, armed with science and technology, to remain Opinion We have always known it to be a national platform and a basic pillar of the Jordanian media, through the development of its news services and platforms.
Every year andOpinion Her large family is retired and well-employed.
Fakhoury:«Here is London»
Experience working in a newspaper Opinion The Jordanian Journalism School is an ancient journalism school and a turning point in the path of media professionals in Jordan.
One day, specifically in early 1982, while I was working in one of the diplomatic corps, I met the late Professor Nazmi Al-Saeed, who had been my teacher since my high school days, and he offered me to join the family of the sports department in “Opinion» Editor and responsible for translating and monitoring international sports news. The source at that time was a radio station “Here is London» I was following the English Premier League in preparation for publishing the results in an issue “Opinion» On the second day. I started learning how to edit the news “Abu Al-Saeed» We would sit at a round table and start writing, then pass what we were writing to him so that he would make his observations or ask us to rewrite the news after specific instructions, and he would tell us: “More than paper what is in the newspaper» Thus, I began to improve in drafting the news, and at the same time I was learning from Professor Samir Jenkat how to choose the appropriate and interesting title for the event..
In 1983 he sent me “Abu Al-Saeed» To an Olympic sports journalism course at the University of London “Queens College» For a month, we grew up with “Opinion» Al-Arika is the largest political daily newspaper issued by the Jordanian Press Corporation, and opportunities to hone skills in news coverage, investigations, and field work have increased with us..
What most distinguished our work in the sports department was our weekly meeting on Friday, specifically at ten in the morning, in preparation for issuing the weekly sports supplement. As for those who were late, they were punished by bringing breakfast..
He was our strong and main supporter in the sports department “Mahmoud Al-Kayed “Abu Azmi» He had honorable positions of support, especially when higher and influential authorities filed complaints against us until now “Abu Al-Saeed» One of the Ministers of Youth and Sports of that era was forced to surrender?.
What united us most in love were the days of the holy month of Ramadan, and I do not remember a single day in which we were absent. “Abu Al-Saeed» At breakfast, I was honored with him to serve breakfast meals that were abundant at the tables of the sports department, with the participation of colleagues who were on duty in other departments..
The experiences and memories go on and on and on “Opinion» The platform that brought out the adults.
And wild: Tarawneh saved me
I joined“Opinion» On November 8, 1983, in the advertising department, the head of which was colleague Salim Samawi, assisted by colleague Nayef Tarawneh, and the general manager was Mr. Juma Hammad, accompanied by the administrative director, Muhammad Al-Amad, and his assistant, Nader Al-Hourani, who had the credit, after God, for appointing me to the position. “Opinion».
The advertising department included colleagues Odeh Al-Abadi, Eid Al-Zoubi, Akram Amayra, Hassan Al-Awaysha, Thaer Habashneh, Jamal Al-Amad, Jaber Al-Jazari, Issa Ammar, and Mohieddin Al-Afyouni, and all of us were responsible for recording and booking advertisements received from various agents in the governorates, collecting their price according to their size and location of publication, and sending them to the class section, whose head was colleague Awad Al-Hindi..
A few days ago, at the beginning of my work, I registered two advertisements worth 12 dinars each, but I neglected to collect the amount from the advertiser..
When the accountant came at night to receive the value of the advertisements, it became clear that the amount that I had not received was incomplete. He started raising his voice, and the colleague Tarawneh heard him, and began flipping through the receipts in search of the name of the advertiser. When he found it, he asked the employee on duty at the exchange, Muhammad Falah, to contact him, so that the advertiser would tell him after verifying his money that he had not paid the amount. Thus, I was freed from an accusation that almost cost me my job..
I stayed for about 15 years in this department, then I was named assistant director of advertising until the year 2000, before I was transferred as assistant to the financial director, colleague Samir Al-Amad, who was transferred to another department and was replaced by colleague Ayman Al-Rawashdeh..
I continued my work for about 12 years as assistant to the financial director for follow-up and collection for advertising agencies before I was referred for retirement, and I have the honor of being honored by colleagues for whom I have all the respect and appreciation, wishing the family Opinion On the occasion of her birthday this year, all the best.
