Jordan Press & Publishing Company – State Media Monitor

Jordan Press & Publishing is a public shareholding company known primarily for publishing Ad‑Dustour—one of Jordan’s leading Arabic daily newspapers—along with other titles such as the English weekly The Star, sports magazine Ad‑Dustour Al‑Riyadi, and radar listing Daleel Ad‑Dustour. Among these, Ad‑Dustour remains its flagship brand.

Media assets

Publishing: Ad-Dustour

State Media Matrix Typology

Ownership and governance

Founded privately, Ad‑Dustour was acquired in part by the Jordanian government in 1986, and today the Social Security Investment Fund—an arm of the state—controls approximately 30%of the company . Other major stakeholders include professional associations (e.g., Engineers Association with ~18%) and employee ownership.

The firm operates under a nine-member board of directors with terms expiring in November 2028, per recent registry information.

Saif Sharif is the company’s General Manager. Known for his operational leadership within the company, Saif also serves as a key figure in editorial oversight. He collaborates closely with the Editor-in-Chief, Nabil Sharif, integrating management strategies with news production .

Source of funding and budget

In 2021, the company’s total revenues were reported at approximately JOD 2.1 million, a modest increase from JOD 1.8 million in 2020. The company accumulated nearly JOD 28 million in losses since 2010, which is approximately US$40 million at 2023 exchange rates.

Annual net losses include: JOD 0.37 million in 2022, JOD 0.19 million in 2023, and JOD 0.20 million in 2024. These figures align with data from the Securities Depository Center.

The company continues to face significant challenges due to a persistent economic downturn, which has severely eroded advertising revenues. Journalists and sector experts interviewed for this report said that government advertising contracts and subscriptions from public institutions have played a critical role in sustaining the company and may have been essential to its continued operation.

Editorial independence

Ad‑Dustour maintains a staunchly pro-government orientation, frequently prioritizing coverage of the Royal Family and official announcements over critical or investigative reporting. It has courted controversy by lauding government restraints on freedom of expression.

No legal protections exist to assure editorial independence, nor are there independent oversight mechanisms.

July 2025