Ammon News - Hani Hazaimeh

AMMONNEWS — A group of Jordan Press Foundation (JPF) employees on Wednesday staged a one-hour work stoppage to protest against what they called government interference in the foundation's internal affairs.

Sami Zubeidi, a senior journalist at Al Rai who took part in the protest, told The Jordan Times yesterday that they will escalate their protests unless they receive clarification from Minister of State for Media Affairs and Communications Rakan Majali with regard to his "constant interference" in the institution's administrative and editorial affairs.

"We have learned from credible sources that the minister [Majali] has been calling and asking questions about the salaries and ages of JPF staff members. We also heard that he is trying to force the JPF board to appoint a certain figure as director general of the foundation," he said.

Majali could not be reached for a comment as he was attending the Lower House session.

Meanwhile, Jordan Press Association (JPA) President Tareq Momani stressed that the association never received any complaints from JPF staff about the alleged accusations, noting that they cannot act on the basis of rumours.

"The JPA, in principle, is against any interference from whomsoever in the editorial affairs of any media outlet. However, it never came to our knowledge that the minister has been trying to impose his decisions on the JPF as no one has filed a complaint in this regard," he told The Jordan Times yesterday. Al Rai Editor-in-Chief Majid Asfour dismissed as baseless the protesters' claims.

"Since I took office, I never received any call from any party telling me how to run the paper's editorial policy. We believe in and support freedom of expression... what the protesters are doing is their basic right. Nevertheless I would urge them to provide me with any evidence that can support their claims in order to take action," he told The Jordan Times yesterday.

The JPF board of directors appointed Asfour as editor-in-chief of Al Rai newspaper in December last year, replacing Samih Maaytah.



* Jordan Times / By Hani Hazaimeh