Jordan Press Association

The Unwritten History

Sa’eda Kilani

Assistant  Researchers

Ali Sa’adeh
Oula Farawati
Abdullah Damdoum
Sahar Saleh

Translation

CopyWrite Offices - Nur Sati
December 2005

Prepared and edited by the Arab Archives Institute
Mob: 962-79-9860004
Tel: 962-6-4656694
Fax: 962-6-4656693
Mailing Address: POBox: 815454 Amman- Jordan
Email: aainstitute@gmail.com  
Website: www.alarcheef.com
Price: $15
Number of Pages: 264  

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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

Chapter Five

Courts between JPA and its Members
JPA’s Councils
Annex: Jordan Press Association Law

Footnotes (in Arabic)
 

Jordan Press Association

 Sa’eda Kilani

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

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