Hussein I, King (1935–1999)

King Hussein bin Talal was one of few contemporary Arab leaders to effectively harness media communication to promote Jordan's moderate political views on local and international fronts. During its 46-year period, King Hussein's reign was marked by numerous abortive coups, assassination attempts, and military conflicts in Jordan as well as in neighboring countries. King Hussein was instrumental in establishing a solid Jordanian media system, adopting a centrist discourse on national, regional, and international issues. When he acceded to the throne in 1953 as a monarch of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, which then comprised what historically was known as Trans-Jordan and the West Bank, there was only one newspaper and one radio station, both based in Palestinian territories. By the late 1980s, Jordan had four ...