The weekly newspaper Al Hadath was back on the newsstands Tuesday after reaching a compromise with the information ministry to scrap the name of Nidal Mansur as editor-in-chief on the masthead, Mansur told AFP.
"We reached an agreement to remove my name as editor-in-chief for a two-month period during which there will be no editor-in-chief for the newspaper," Mansur told AFP.
The masthead of the latest edition of the independent newspaper identifies Mansur as "chairman of the board" of Al Hadath and gives five names for the "editorial board". There is no reference to an editor-in-chief.
Mansur hopes to hear from an administrative court within two months regarding an appeal he had submitted to the judicial authorities several months ago against an expulsion order by the journalists' union.
The union expelled Mansur for life in September after accusing him of receiving "suspect" foreign funds for the Center for the Defense of the Freedom of Journalists, which he heads.
The union argued that Mansur was violating union laws by doubling up as full time journalist and head of a non-government organization.
Subsequently the information ministry decided last week to ban Al Hadath since it had "lost" its editor through the union ban.
But Mansur argued that no action against him could be taken until the court hands down its verdict.
"I appealed (the union expulsion order) and the court did not issue a verdict," he said
He also accused "some members of the union of putting pressure on the information ministry to remove my name from the newspaper." -- AMMAN (AFP)
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