Saraya (in Arabic سرايا ) is an Arabic online newspaper based in Amman, Jordan. It was blocked by the Jordanian government in June 2013.
| Type | Daily |
|---|---|
| Format | Online newspaper |
| Owner(s) | Khubrani Media and Advertising Company |
| Founder(s) | Hashim Al Khalidi |
| Editor-in-chief | Seif Obeidat |
| Founded | 2007 |
| Language | Arabic |
| Headquarters | Amman |
| Website | Saraya News |
Profile
editHashim Al Khalidi is the owner of the website.[1] The editor-in-chief is Seif Obeidat.[1] The rate of readership for Saraya in 2010 was 24% according to Alexa, making it third mostly visited website in Jordan.[2] In a market study carried out by Ipsos in March 2012 it was established that Saraya was among the top 20 most visited websites in the country along with two other news portals, namely Ammon News and Khaberni.[3] It was the 15th most visited website in the Arab world in 2012, too.[4] In April 2013, Saraya was the 9th most visited website in the country.[5] The Alexa data showed in June 2013 that the website was among the mostly visited news websites.[2]
In June 2013, it was blocked by the government along with more than other 200 websites.[6][7] The reason for the blocking was the websites' improper publications and organization according to the new press and publications law.[8]
In January 2015 both the owner and editor-in-chief of Saraya were arrested by the Jordanian authorities due to their supposedly aiding terrorism and spreading false news.[1][9]
References
edit- ^ a b c "Jordan arrests two journalists on aiding terrorism charges". Committee to Protect Journalists. 29 January 2015. Retrieved 5 June 2015.
- ^ a b Rana F. Sweis; Dina Baslan (10 October 2013). "Mapping Digital Media: Jordan" (PDF). Open Society Foundations. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
- ^ "Freedom on the Net". Freedom House. 2012. Retrieved 21 September 2013.
- ^ "Top websites in the Arab world 2012". Forbes Middle East. Retrieved 23 February 2014.
- ^ "The impact of digitization and new media trends in Jordan". Arab Media Report. Retrieved 21 September 2013.
- ^ Elisa López Aguado; Meredith Turk (14 June 2013). "A Comprehensive List of Blocked Jordanian Websites". Global Journalist. Retrieved 21 September 2013.
- ^ "Al Bawaba breaks free: one of the lucky nine websites Jordan unblocks". Al Bawaba. 5 June 2013. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
- ^ Daniel Shane (2 June 2013). "Jordan gov't said to block more than 200 websites". Arabian Business. Retrieved 21 September 2013.
- ^ "Jordan arrests website pair over hostage swap rumors". The Japan Times. 29 January 2015. Retrieved 5 June 2015.