Khaberni - On Saturday in London, esteemed Jordanian journalist and broadcaster Jamil Azar passed away at the age of 81, following a long professional career in journalism.
The late Azar was among the first generation and a key founder of Al Jazeera channel when it launched in 1996, where he famously crafted its renowned slogan "The Opinion and The Other Opinion". He held several positions there including news anchor, program host, linguistic auditor, and a member of the editorial board.
Azar was born in Al Husn, Irbid in 1937. He started his career as a news translator and news program host at the Arabic BBC between 1965-1975.
He worked as a news editor in English, news translator, and host of news and current affairs programs at the corporation from 1976 to 1984, then he became the senior director of the news department.
He later moved on as assistant head of the news department, head of the news department, and producer of some programs at the corporation "Politics Between the Questioner and the Respondent" and "Arab Affairs in British Newspapers" between 1986 and 1988. From 1988 to 1990, he served as assistant head of the Arabic department at the corporation.
He concluded his work at the British Broadcasting Corporation as a director and host of the programs "Commerce and Industry" and "British Press Weeklies" until 1994.
He joined the Al Jazeera Satellite Channel since its inception on July 30, 1996, and was the one who formulated its slogan "The Opinion and The Other Opinion". He worked there as a news anchor and host of "The Weekly File" program, linguistic and news auditor, and a member of the editorial board.
