Joseph Samaha (1949–2007) (Arabic: جوزيف نصري سماحة) was a Lebanese
journalist
A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalism ...
and leftwing intellectual. He was editor-in-chief of the Lebanese newspaper ''
As-Safir
''As-Safir'' ( ar, السفير, lit=The Ambassador), was a leading Arabic-language daily newspaper in Lebanon. The headquarters of the daily was in Beirut. It was in circulation from March 1974 until December 2016. The last issue of the paper wa ...
'' and a cofounder of the newspaper ''
Al Akhbar''.
Life
Samaha was born in 1949 in
Khenchara
Khenchara (Arabic: الخنشارة) is a village in Lebanon. It is situated in the Metn district (or qadaa) (Caza). It is located between Ghabet Bologna (غابة بولونيا), Bteghrine (بتغرين) and Dhour El Choueir - Ain el Sendianeh ...
, a village in
Lebanon
Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...
. When he was four years old, after his father's death, he moved with his mother and younger brother to the town of
Beino
Beino - Qboula ( ar, بينو - قبولا) is an area in the Akkar District, Akkar district in Lebanon. Beino has a total area of around 20 Square kilometers with a population of 2500. History
In 1838, Eli Smith noted the villages as ''Binu'' a ...
in the
Akkar District
Akkar District ( ar, قضاء عكار) is the only district in Akkar Governorate, Lebanon. It is coextensive with the governorate and covers an area of . The UNHCR estimated the population of the district to be 389,899 in 2015, including 106,935 ...
.
His mother worked hard and Samaha was able to attend the Freire Catholic School in
Beirut
Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint o ...
, where he finished his secondary education despite the family's poverty. He then studied at the
Lebanese University
The Lebanese University (LU) (, ) is the only public university in Beirut, Lebanon. It is ranked #701–750 worldwide in terms of education.
The creation of the Lebanese University was an idea first mentioned in the speech of the former Minist ...
, gaining a bachelor's degrees in
philosophy
Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...
in 1972.
While studying at the Faculty of Arts in
Beirut
Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint o ...
, Samaha joined the
Arab Revolutionary Workers Party before joining the
Communist Action Organization in Lebanon
The Communist Action Organization in Lebanon – CAOL ( ar, منظمة العمل الشيوعي في لبنان , ''munaẓẓamah al-‘amal al-shuyū‘ī fī lubnān''), also known as Organization of Communist Action in Lebanon (OCAL) or Orga ...
in 1972, after a dispute with Yasin al-Hafiz over the position to take on the Palestinian resistance, .
While a member of the Communist Action Organization, he joined the editorial family of the weekly ''
Al-Hurriya
Al-Hurriya, alternatively Al-Horaya is a neighborhood of Baghdad, Iraq
Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is ...
'' magazine, his first experience as editor in chief of a press publication. From 1974 to 1978 he also worked for the Lebanese daily ''
As-Safir
''As-Safir'' ( ar, السفير, lit=The Ambassador), was a leading Arabic-language daily newspaper in Lebanon. The headquarters of the daily was in Beirut. It was in circulation from March 1974 until December 2016. The last issue of the paper wa ...
'' newspaper. In 1978 he moved to be editor in chief of ''Al Watan'' newspaper, representing the
Lebanese National Movement (LNM). In 1980 he left ''Al Watan'', writing again for ''As-Safir'' from 1980 until 1984.
Samaha obtained the advanced Diploma in
Political Science
Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...
in
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
in 1981, and then returned to Lebanon. In 1984 he left again for
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
to complete his university studies, but was soon seduced by the press. In Paris, he worked as editor in chief of ''
Youm7
''Youm7'' ( ar, اليوم السابع, , meaning ''The Seventh Day'') is an Egyptian privately owned daily newspaper. It was first published as a weekly paper in October 2008 and has been published daily since May 2011. It is published in Arab ...
'' magazine, which supported the
Palestine Liberation Organization
The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO; ar, منظمة التحرير الفلسطينية, ') is a Palestinian nationalism, Palestinian nationalist political and militant organization founded in 1964 with the initial purpose of establ ...
, along with the Palestinian writer Bilal Al Hassan. This was his longest journalistic experience, as he remained at ''Youm7'' until 1991. He also had a short journalistic experience with Fawwaz Traboulsi at ''Zawaya'' magazine, founded and directed in Paris by Emile Menhem, who later accompanied Samaha to the ''
Al Akhbar'' newspaper in Lebanon. ''Zawaya'' magazine had a cultural aspect as it singled out a special aspect of astonishment Criticism, that is how Orientals view the West, as an alternative to criticizing Orientalism. In addition to other aspect especially women, photography, eye culture, and popular culture. The magazine was seeking to be independent of funding, which led to the end of the experiment before the release of the fourth issue devoted to Arab women's issues.
Samaha joined ''
Al-Hayat'' newspaper in 1992, rising to become deputy editor in chief. He moved to be managing editor in chief at ''
As-Safir
''As-Safir'' ( ar, السفير, lit=The Ambassador), was a leading Arabic-language daily newspaper in Lebanon. The headquarters of the daily was in Beirut. It was in circulation from March 1974 until December 2016. The last issue of the paper wa ...
'' newspaper from 1995 until 1998, when he returned to ''Al-Hayat''. He headed the department of politics in London before moving to Lebanon in 2000 as director of ''Al-Hayat''
's Beirut office. Samaha returned to ''As-Safir'' newspaper in 2001 as editor in chief before leaving it for the last time to establish the Lebanese newspaper ''Al-Akhbar'', whose first issue was published prematurely in August 2006 during the
Israeli aggression on Lebanon.
His experience with ''Al-Akhbar'' newspaper did not last long. Samaha died of a heart attack during a trip to
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
, when he went to pay his respects to Hazem Sagieh on the loss of his wife,
Mai Ghoussoub
Mai Ghoussoub ( ar, مي غصوب; 2 November 1952, in Beirut – 17 February 2007, in London) was a Lebanon, Lebanese writer, artist, publisher and human rights activist. She was the co-founder in London of the Saqi bookshop and publishing house. ...
.
literature
* Passing thePeace: Towards an Arab Solution to the Jewish Question (Arabic: salam eabir: nahw hal earabi lilmas'alat alyahudia), 1993.
* Decree No Destiny: On the Ethics of the Second Republic (Arabic: qada' la qadra: fi 'akhlaq aljumhuria althaania), 1996.
Reverences
External links
* https://web.archive.org/web/20210920222813/https://al-akhbar.com/
{{DEFAULTSORT:Samaha, Joseph
Lebanese journalists
Lebanese newspaper founders
1949 births
2007 deaths
Lebanese University alumni