The Jordan Times
An English-language daily newspaper published in Amman, Jordan.
Last updated August 22, 2026
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Overview
The Jordan Times is an English-language daily newspaper based in Amman and focused on Jordanian, regional, and international affairs. Established in 1975, it operates under the Jordan Press Foundation, a shareholding media company that also publishes Al Ra'i, one of Jordan's major Arabic-language newspapers. The relationship gives The Jordan Times an institutional connection to one of the country's principal newspaper groups while preserving a distinct English-language editorial identity. The newspaper's core role is to make Jordanian public affairs, politics, business, society, and culture accessible to English-speaking readers. Its reporting also places Jordan within a wider regional and international context, covering developments elsewhere in the Middle East and major global news. The publication is therefore relevant both to domestic readers who use English professionally or academically and to diplomats, international organizations, businesses, researchers, journalists, and foreign residents seeking coverage of Jordan. Its editorial structure is organized around two broad areas: news and opinions. The news operation covers local, regional, and world events, with dedicated attention to business and sports. The opinions section carries commentary and analysis by Jordanian, Arab, and international writers, giving the paper a forum-oriented role in addition to its daily reporting function. This combination of news, analysis, and commentary positions the publication as a general-interest English-language newspaper rather than a specialist business, diplomatic, or expatriate title. The Jordan Press Foundation has been majority government-owned since its establishment, although the extent of any change in the government's shareholding after a proposed partial-sale plan announced in 2000 has been unclear in the cited reference material. The Jordan Times has nevertheless been described as editorially independent from its sister publication Al Ra'i. That distinction is important to the brand's identity: it operates within a prominent Jordanian media institution but maintains a separate English-language editorial profile. The newspaper's digital presence has extended its reach beyond the physical newspaper. Reference material records that its website ranked as the 31st most visited website in the Arab world in 2013, indicating substantial regional online visibility at that time. The site functions as an online outlet for the newspaper's news and opinion content, although the available material does not specify its current audience size, business model, circulation, revenue, or detailed publishing schedule beyond its daily-newspaper identity. The Jordan Times has also been associated with a number of journalists and public figures who later became prominent in Jordanian, Arab, and international public life. Alumni identified in reference material include former editors-in-chief Rami George Khouri, Marwan Muasher, and George Hawatmeh; former deputy prime minister and foreign minister Ayman Safadi, who served as a deputy editor-in-chief and editor-in-chief; and journalist Jill Carroll, who later worked for The Christian Science Monitor. Veteran journalist Randa Habib wrote a weekly column for the paper from the 1980s until 2011, when management ended the column. These associations reflect the publication's role as a significant English-language journalistic institution in Jordan, even though detailed information about its current editorial leadership and corporate performance is not provided in the available sources.
History
The Jordan Times was established in 1975 as an English-language daily newspaper in Amman, Jordan. Its creation gave Jordan a dedicated English-language publication able to report on national affairs for readers outside the Arabic-language newspaper market and to present Jordanian developments to an international audience. The available reference material does not identify a single individual founder or provide a detailed account of the paper's launch process. The newspaper became part of the Jordan Press Foundation, a shareholding media company that also operates Al Ra'i, a major Arabic-language daily described in the reference material as the best-selling newspaper in the kingdom. The Foundation has been majority government-owned since its inception. In 2000, a plan to sell some of the Foundation's shares was announced, but the extent to which government ownership subsequently changed is not clear from the cited material. This ownership context places The Jordan Times within an important national media institution while leaving its precise current shareholding structure unspecified. The Jordan Times developed a separate editorial identity from Al Ra'i. Although both publications belong to the Jordan Press Foundation, the English-language paper has been described as editorially independent from its Arabic-language sister daily. Its role has consequently been less that of an English translation or subsidiary edition and more that of an independent English-language news and commentary outlet within the same corporate group. Editorially, the paper has two principal areas. Its news coverage addresses Jordanian, regional, and world events, with subsections devoted to business and sports. Its opinions section publishes commentary and analysis by Jordanian, Arab, and international writers. This structure gives the newspaper both a general news function and a platform for interpretation and debate. The available sources do not provide detailed circulation figures, staffing levels, revenue data, or a complete chronology of editors and ownership changes. The publication's website broadened its reach beyond its print readership. The cited reference material states that the site ranked as the 31st most visited website in the Arab world in 2013. No current traffic figures are supplied, but the ranking indicates that the online edition had notable regional visibility at that time and served readers beyond Jordan's physical newspaper market. Several journalists associated with the paper later achieved wider prominence. Rami George Khouri, Marwan Muasher, and George Hawatmeh are identified as former editors-in-chief. Ayman Safadi served as deputy editor-in-chief and editor-in-chief before becoming a senior Jordanian political figure, including service as foreign minister and deputy prime minister. Jill Carroll, later a reporter for The Christian Science Monitor and known for her kidnapping in Iraq, is also listed as a former reporter. Randa Habib wrote a weekly column from the 1980s until 2011, when management discontinued it. These alumni and contributors demonstrate the paper's importance as a training ground and public forum for English-language journalism connected with Jordan and the wider Middle East. Based on the available material, The Jordan Times remains an active English-language daily newspaper with print and digital publishing activities. Its historical significance rests on its longevity since 1975, its institutional position within the Jordan Press Foundation, its editorial distinction from Al Ra'i, and its service to both Jordanian and international audiences.
- 2013
Website records high regional visibility
[1]The newspaper's website is reported as the 31st most visited website in the Arab world.
- 2011
Randa Habib's weekly column ends
[1]Management discontinues the long-running weekly column by journalist Randa Habib.
- 2000
Jordan Press Foundation share-sale plan is announced
[1]A plan to sell some shares in the Jordan Press Foundation is announced, although the later extent of any reduction in government ownership is unclear in the cited material.
- 1975
The newspaper is established
[1]The Jordan Times begins as an English-language daily newspaper based in Amman.
Products and positioning
A mainstream English-language Jordanian newspaper serving domestic and international readers with coverage of Jordanian, regional, and world affairs.
Print newspaper · 1975
The Jordan Times daily newspaper
The core publication is an English-language daily newspaper based in Amman. It covers Jordanian, regional, and international news and includes business and sports reporting. Its English-language format serves domestic readers as well as diplomats, international organizations, businesses, researchers, and other audiences interested in Jordan and the Middle East.
Digital news publication
The Jordan Times website
The newspaper's website extends its news and opinion publishing to a regional and international online audience. Reference material identifies it as a significant Arab-world website in 2013, when it ranked 31st by visits among websites in the region. Current traffic, platform features, and commercial model are not specified in the available sources.
Opinion and analysis
Opinions section
The opinions section publishes commentary and analysis by Jordanian, Arab, and international writers. It complements the newspaper's reported news with a forum for interpretation and debate on Jordanian, regional, and international issues.
Brand decisions
2011
Discontinuation of Randa Habib's weekly columnOtherBackground
Randa Habib had contributed a weekly column to The Jordan Times from the 1980s until 2011.
Action taken
The newspaper's management ended the column in 2011.
Aftermath
The available reference does not document the management's stated reason or the broader editorial consequences.
Recent events
- 2013
The Jordan Times website ranked among the Arab world's most visited websites[1]
Other
Reference material reported that the newspaper's website was the 31st most visited website in the Arab world during 2013.
- 2011
Management ended Randa Habib's weekly column[1]
Other
After appearing in The Jordan Times from the 1980s through 2011, veteran journalist Randa Habib's weekly column was discontinued by the newspaper's management.
- 1975
The Jordan Times was established in Amman[1]
Other
The English-language daily began publication in Jordan and later operated under the Jordan Press Foundation.
Sources2 sources
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