Many things have been/are getting hijacked, and I am not saying that this is one of the really important ones but it has pissed me off on a couple of occasions in the past few years that I think it’s about time someone points out how many things are being sort of sold out indirectly within our private sector.

A few years ago, I wanted to intern at a local magazine, and thinking that JO was one of the strongest I sent them to inquire about the issue. I was told that I needed to have a journalism background or experience, which was somehow the point of me asking for that internship. I did not push or follow up, but you can see from the following few pictures from different JO issues from this year and last year that their editor in chief has almost always been a foreigner with many foreign contributors and interns. Interns who for the most part are foreigners residing in Jordan for a while as they study Arabic or volunteer with the peace corps or any other organization, many with no background or experience in journalism, their only advantage is being fluent in English. It’s becoming a pattern, half of the names are foreign. It has not only become an industry easy for them to infiltrate and find a job at,  they also get a priority over any local.

I afterwards went to intern at Al-Faridah, with Viva magazine, Trendesign magazine and Layalina magazine which came with the package. An American intern was allowed to write pieces while I went to pick up items to be photographed; searched for images of dresses and the likes and on occasion  wrote some of the horoscopes and a ‘kitchen talk’. The editor in chief at Viva and Trendesign was an American, the other English writer was a Jordanian who needed help writing in Arabic and transferring data from a recorded interview she made in Arabic into written text and translating it into English.

The following pictures are from different GO magazine issues this year and last year as well. Go magazine defines itself as the “go to monthly guide for what’s going on in Jordan”. It shows almost the same model of foreign names taking over. I am not saying that they don’t do a good job, but why is it that foreigners lead such magazines, isn’t it possible that locals might just know a bit more about Jordan than expats? How hard is it to find a Jordanian with good English and local roots that can really let you know about Jordan?

What really got on my nerves this week was seeing this in Akhtaboot, Al-Faridah’s English editor post is for those who graduated from US or British universities only! So basically someone who has spent the past 4 years of their life outside of the country studying is the best candidate for a Jordanian magazine!  Bottom line is, if you’re an expat or a graduate from a foreign university, even if you studied sports or law or anything at all, you’re always a better candidate than any Jordanian can be! I simply cannot make any sense of it! What to do?