PM visits Al Rai on 50th anniversary, reiterates government support to the daily

AMMAN — Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Bisher Al Khasawneh, accompanied by Minister of State for Media Affairs Sakher Dudin, on Thursday paid Al Rai newspaper a visit on the occasion of its golden jubilee.

During his meeting with a number of the daily newspaper staff, the premier said that the Jordanian state, with all its official and popular components, sees “Al Rai” as one of its active media outlets and an icon of the Jordanian national media.

Khasawneh also highlighted Al Rai’s national role at critical junctures and major phases in the history of the nation, pointing out that the newspaper carried out major tasks in connection to national awareness and the project of the Jordanian state in its first centenary.

“We look forward to the newspaper continuing this role as we enter the second centennial of the Jordanian state,” he added.

Khasawneh emphasised governmental support for Al Rai newspaper to overcome the difficulties and challenges, notably the daily newspaper’s plans and projects to move towards digital media and digitisation, a requirement in the 21st century.

The premier also highlighted His Majesty King Abdulla’s ongoing directives in this arena.

The paper's acting editor-in-chief Emad Abdulrahman and a number of staff members highlighted the financial challenges facing the newspaper and called for speeding up the appointment of a qualified editor-in-chief.

Al Ra'i Board Chairman Maher Madadha stressed that Al Rai "has always been and will remain the national media outlet that defends the constants and policies of the Jordanian state".

Highlighting the financial hardships facing the daily newspaper, the newspaper's general manager Jihad Al-Shara called for increasing the prices of government and judicial advertisements.

Khaled Al-Shaqran, director of Al Rai Centre for Studies, pointed out that the newspaper demands are not limited to financial support, but they also include governmental decisions that help finding solutions to the existing challenges.

Meanwhile, Khasawneh stressed the necessity of applying innovative solutions to the challenges facing the newspaper, adding that Al Rai could enter the TV, Radio and the online streaming domains, which can help reach wider audience and alleviate some of the financial challenges.

Al Rai daily is the Arabic twin of the Jordan Times, both of which are owned by the Jordan Press Foundation (JPF).