Jordan Press Association - The Unwritten History

By Sa'eda Kilani

This book reveals and analyses the complex relationship between the Jordan Press Association with its Journalists members on one hand and the Jordanian government on the other. It exposes everyday struggle of writers in the kingdom between their aspirations for a free press and their commitment to social and political norms.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Nov 16, 2014
• ISBN: 9781312681170

Book preview

Jordan Press Association - The Unwritten History

Jordan Press Association

The Unwritten History

Sa’eda Kilani

Jordan Press Association

Sa’eda Kilani

Assistant  Researchers

Ali Sa’adehOula Farawati

Abdullah DamdoumSahar Saleh

Translation

CopyWrite Offices - Nur Sati

December 2005

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Prepared and edited by the Arab Archives Institute

Mob: [phone]

Mailing Address: POBox: 815454 Amman- Jordan

Email: [e-mail]

Website: www.alarcheef.org

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Contents

Introduction

Chapter One

History of the Jordan Press Association

Chapter Two

Revival of the Association (1969)

Chapter Three

The Association ...At Present

Chapter Four

Mandatory Membership

Chapter Five

Courts between JPA and its Members

JPA’s Councils

Annex: Jordan Press Association Law

Footnotes (in Arabic)

Introduction

I admit to have rewritten the first chapter more than ten times. Every time I think I had finally the complete story of the establishment of the Jordan Press Association, I would embark upon new information that takes me back to square one.

The discoveries of very simple data were a goldmine to me. I was always a supporter of the view that history is wrongly written in our part of the world and I used to insist on the importance of re-reading and re-writing our Arab and Islamic history without which we will continue to suffer from blatant absence of freedoms and respect for our basic rights.

The information revealed in this book concerning events occured more than half a century ago are easy to find in publications at the National Library, the Library of the University of Jordan and even with us here at the Arab Archives Institute. The absented information and the lack of it in our history contributed to forging basic data, it is true, but the information that exists in many publications but has not been read or used by researchers and activists, contribute even more to the failure of institutions and NGOs to perform their jobs properly, including us.  

I hope that the information revealed in this book will not be the end of research into the history of the press and the Jordan Press Association (JPA), but rather the beginning.

To be honest, this was not my intention at all. The basic goal of this book originally was not to come up with new theories and unknown information on the JPA. Our mission at the Institute was basically to understand the complex relationship between Jordanian journalists and their government through studying the role of the Association in that regard. That goal was based on the deteriorating situation of journalists in recent years that made it difficult for the media to perform its job perfectly. 

By sheer coincidence, and while I was reviewing my grandfather’s magazine, Hawl Al ‘Alam (Across the Globe), which used to appear  during the 1950s, to examine its comments on the establishment of the JPA in June 1953 as recorded in official history, I was surprised to see that there were other news from that date. Instead, I found brief news that showed that there were previous meetings among Association members.

Looking into back issues of 1953 and then into issues of 1952 and 1951 led to the discovery of an astonishing news item: the announcement of the establishment of the Jordan Press Association in March 1952. This was odd, there is no indication in the official history that indicates that there were even attempts to establish an association before 1953.

Surprises flowed! News articles at the time showed that the first president of the Jordan Press Association was not Raja Elissa but rather Sadeq El Shanti, the journalist and founder of newspapers whose name has not been mentioned in history and press records. To my total surprise, I found out that my grandfather, Subhi Al-Kilani, was the second JPA president! At that time, it became extremely interesting. How was I a journalist for nine years at one of the most important press insitutions in Jordan while I did not know this simple information about the JPA on one hand and about my very grandfather on the other.

That was not the end of consecutive shocks. Newspapers carried articles about clashes among journalists that led to the establishment of two press associations in 1953 and not one! Well, since most of the surprises were coming from my grandfather’s magazine, I decided at the time to turn to other newspapers for credibility and to get the whole story of the conflicts from all sides. There was Al Jazeera newspaper and Filastine daily. To my delight, they only confirmed all news and more. The few journalists who were there at the time were competing on founding an association that represents all. News mentioned that there were meetings for other disgruntled journalists who decided to form another union. And they did, but the government did not recognise it for one reason or the other. A lawsuit was filed against the government at the Higher Court of Justice which admitted that there were loopholes in the JPA law. But dissenting journalists lost the case.

There was a continuous struggle among journalists at the time - between those who represented the East Bank and those who represented both banks. This was happening back in the 1950s. Press industry was growing. The number of journalists was few, not exceeding 65 in 1952, but they were surely enthusiastic.

At present, in 2005, more than half a century later, the journalists are still suffering from having to be members of an association that lacks harmony- an association where directors, editors, journalists and government employees are all together under one roof - an association that does not tire from pursuing and persecuting its members or activists who advocate more freedoms.

As its story started with an internal struggle, as it ended. As the book was going to print, the news of the JPA’s intent to prosecute and discipline independent journalists and private newspapers were overwhelming the journalistic milieu.

Though there are many observations, comments and analysis in this study relating to the weak performance of the Association, the real outcome of this research is the dire need for the press sector, and all other sectors for that matter, to rewrite and redocument history. This is of course a general call to all those who have information that is missing in this study or desire to comment on any of its results to provide the Arab Archives Institute with it so that we might be able in the near future to have a better look at the real history and current reality to the press in Jordan which might contribute to our future studies and perhaps, just perhaps, more media freedoms.

The Arab Archives Institute would like to thank deeply all those who contributed to this study and the monotonous research that went on for more than two years. On top, I would like to thank my father who helped me with the papers and documents of my grandfather, Subhi Al Kilani which enlightened this research. I thank my mother for providing me with names, numbers and information about the families of some journalists who left the country decades ago. I thank as well the research team: Oula Farawati, Ali Sa’adeh, Abdullah Damdoum and Sahar Saleh whose work and research highly contributed to extracting accurate information about the early establishments of the Association and its inside as well. My thanks goes as well to my friend and professional Nur Sati, whose expedient and professional translation of this book into English with the wonderful team at her Translation office CopyWrite helped us publish it in time and simultaneously with the Arabic version.

I thank my colleague Basem Sakijha who helped bring this study to light through working long hours on editing the Arabic version and assisting me with the English version as well as providing me not only with his insight and knowledge about incidents and personalities in our press history but also his father’s documents of the 1970s.

My deep thanks and appreciation goes to our colleagues in Norway, most notably the Norwegian Human Rights Fund, whose support is invaluable. I especially want to thank Tale Longva (NHRF) and Carl Morten Iverson (Pen International- Norway) and my good friend Kristina Stockwood (IFEX) whose encouragement from the very beginning made this book come to light. They have all offered support and assistance without asking questions and with no conditions, which have encouraged us more to take the adequate time to do the needed research without pressures.

We hope this book will contribute to enriching information on the situation of journalists and the journalists milieu in Jordan, which is similar - unfortunately - to the press conditions in many Arab and backward countries.

Sa’eda

Chapter One

History of the Jordan Press Association

The official story regarding the history of the Jordan Press Association (JPA) and the beginning of its establishment turned out to be defective, as the results of this research will show. The official information states that the JPA was established in 1953 and in some instances in 1969. History records suggest that Raja Issa or Ibrahim Al Shanti was the first president of the Jordan Press Association. 

In contrast, our research, which relied on information gathered from books, research papers, articles and especially journalistic reports published during the 1950s, indicated that there was a law for the Association back in 1951 and that the first JPA council was established in early 1952 (and not 1953) with Sadeq Al Shanti as its president (and not Raja Issa or Ibrahim Al Shanti).

To be precise, the real JPA history began on December 7, 1951 when a number of journalists met and decided that the time had come to establish their own association. The government of Samir Al Rifai, formed in 1950, had already shown its earlier approval to the establishment of a union for journalists. Regional circumstances were also playing to that effect. Neighboring Arab countries such as Egypt had established their associations and prohibited members from other countries from joining, while encouraging professionals to form their own associations in their countries.

The time was right, as other professional associations had begun to appear in Jordan. During the years 1950 – 1958 the Bar Association was established (in 1950), the Doctors Association (in 1954), the Pharmacists Association (in 1957), and the Engineers Association (in 1958).

Elections of the first JPA council took place some months after journalists met with Prime Minister at the time Samir Al Rifai, in a press conference that boasted an atmosphere filled with friendliness and cooperation. The meeting tackled the establishment of the association, but also touched on what we see now as sensitive issues: the suspension of Al-Mithaq newspaper, censorship, confiscation of Al-Sarih copies, proper management of the radio station and the temporary laws. In the meeting, which took place on March 12, 1951, the Prime Minister addressed a gentle reprimand to journalists present for their delay until this day to complete the establishment of the Jordan Press Association after the government approved the association's by-laws and agreed to provide all the required facilitations.(1)

Qaser Hashem Hotel, which was located at the time in Jericho, then part of Jordan, was chosen as the location for the meeting and for decision taking. On December 7, 1951 the group of convening journalists, who apparently represented all the different spectrums, decided to elect an administrative committee for the association for a four-month period.

This decision was actualized when the journalists and newspaper owners were elected to represent the committee: Hashem Al Sabaa', Subhi Al Kilani, Sadiq Al Shanti, Tayseer Thibyan, Raja Issa, Salim Al Sharif, Mustapha Al Taher, Mahmoud Al Kheimi, Khayri Hammad, Ibrahim Sakijha and Musallam Bisseso.(2) The council decided to elect Subhi Al Kilani as the secretary and Salem Al Sharif as the treasurer.

Examine closely the names of journalists who attended the first founding meeting, back in 1951. These people will later disagree amongst themselves and will form the first nucleus for two press associations – more than half a century ago, in 1952.

The founding committee did not waste any time. Instead, the secretary of the Association, Al Kilani, published advertisements in different newspapers – whether in the political Hawl Al Alam magazine, (headed by him, and published on a regular weekly basis over a span of 10 years (1950 – 1960)), or in Palestine newspaper, headed by Raja Issa, or Al Hawadth newspaper, owned by Musallam Bisseso, and considered to belong to the opposition camp at that time (and was subject, on more than one occasion, to suspensions and closures). The advertisements stated that journalists should send their association membership applications to the secretary before the deadline for the convening of the elections and the establishment of the association.

Advertisement Addressed to All Jordanian Journalists

In accordance with the provisions of Article (77) of the Press Association Law, I would like to request from each journalist who has been practicing journalism for two years to send his membership application to the Association within a period of one week as of the date of this advertisement in the local newspapers to the secretary of the Press Association in Amman, P. O. Box 402 accompanied with a certificate issued by the owner of the establishment in which he works verifying his eligibility for membership in the Association and showing the nature of his work in the journalistic establishment and a recommendation certificate signed by members of the council of the Association.

The Association’s Secretary

Subhi Al Kilani

January 15, 1952 (3)

In the absence of journalistic archiving, another surprise was revealed through the advertisements - the existence of an association law prior to that of 1953, which may have been discussed before the end of 1951, and which formed the basis for the first association council in 1952, during the era of Prime Minister Tawfiq Abu Al Huda. However, it seems that this law did not fulfill all the constitutional requirements for one reason or another, which may explain its absence from official registers.

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