The Star (Amman newspaper)
| Type | Weekly newspaper |
|---|---|
| Format | broadsheet |
| Owner(s) | Jordan Press and Publishing Company |
| Founded | 1993 |
| Ceased publication | August 2011 |
| Headquarters | Amman, Jordan |
| Website | www.star.com.jo |
The Star was an English-language newspaper published in Amman, Jordan, every Thursday. It was one of the English-language dailies in the country.
The Star was an independent political, economic and cultural weekly. Its name was changed in 1993 when it became a broadsheet, and before that it was known as the Jerusalem Star, which made its début in 1966 in Jerusalem, where it was published for six months in broadsheet format and tackled political, economic, social and cultural issues. Its publisher was Jordan Press and Publishing Company.
Its first editor-in-chief in Jerusalem was the late Mahmood Al Sherif, then also publisher of the Arabic-language Ad-Dustour that started publication in Amman in 1967. However, the Jerusalem Star was to wait, it resumed weekly publication in 1982 as in tabloid format, and continued for most of the 1980s. However, in 1993 it returned to the broadsheet format until August 2008 when a decision was made to turn it into a tabloid with a glossy cover and in full color; day of publication was moved from Thursday to Monday for marketing reasons.
It was closed down in 1988 after a government clampdown on the press, but resumed publication in 1990 under Osama El Sherif, the younger son of Mahmood. After 1993, The Star was thought to have resumed a more serious outlook, tackling issues for local intellectuals, businessmen and politicians. Sixty percent of its readers were said to be Jordanians, including public officials and civil servants, those who want to read a newspaper in English.
The foreign community in Jordan, especially the diplomatic corps also read the newspaper, and look for local news through its columns. They were particularly interested in local art reviews of on-going exhibit which it carried every week for a long times. It does so presently but only haphazardly.
The Star published its last edition towards the end of August 2011.
After 1993 there was a revamping of the newspaper in line with its news broadsheet image. While the sections continued as they are, Q/A interviews with leading politicians and activists become regular, and new columns were introduced such as "People and Politics", "Middle East Beat", "Scrapbook" and later "From Our Neck of the Woods" (written for about one year). Two new columns "Jordan Diary" and "Reflections" were also started early 2003, written by the newly appointed assistant managing editor, Walid Kalaji Existing columns like "Jordan Week" and "Business Chronicle" were revamped. New features become regular, and there was more variety, tackling issues that are not usually found in mainstream newspapers. "Press Cocktail" was another column that began in 1994, dealing with issues from the Arabic weekly press. Like all columns in The Star it had a satirical feel that increased popularity.
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