Al-Sahafa (United States)
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| Type | Monthly newspaper |
|---|---|
| Format | Broadsheet |
| Owner(s) | Fatina Salaheddine |
| Editor | Fatina Salaheddine |
| Founded | 2000 |
| Headquarters | Cleveland, Ohio |
| Circulation | 15,000 Monthly (Nationally & Internationally)[citation needed] |
| Website | www.Al-Sahafa.us |
Al-Sahafa was Ohio's only statewide Arab-American newspaper. It operated with the goal of unraveling the misconceptions around Arabs and dispelling prejudice.[1] Its aim of "exposing issues that are seldom, if ever, discussed on American network and cable outlets" makes it the first paper in Ohio to portray issues of interest to Arab Americans.[2] Written in a neutral tone, it strives to avoid taking political sides and instead focuses on providing context for Arab politics as well as cultural tradition. Al-Sahafa which means "the media" or "the reporter" in Arabic.
Fatina Salaheddine, an American of Lebanese descent, is the owner and publisher of Al-Sahafa.
Al-Sahafa is a tabloid size newspaper. It is published on the first Tuesday of every month, and is also available online. In addition to editing, Salaheddine is the founder and CEO. Al-Sahafa is the first of its kind, providing readers with a scope of Arab-American events, news, cultural highlights, featured editorials and an Arab perspective on politics. It is published in the English language.
In the beginning, Al-Sahafa's target audience was Arab Americans, but September 11 brought the curiosity of all communities that wanted to know more about Arabs and the Middle East.
Since the launch of Al-Sahafa, it has grown to a statewide distribution.
Each month 150,000 copies of the Al-Sahafa Newspaper are strategically placed all over the state of Ohio in downtown city hall and government buildings, grade and high schools, colleges, libraries, news stations, hospitals, law firms, bakeries, hotels, airports, restaurants and coffee shops. There is also a large subscription base of close to 15,000 that are mailed outside the state of Ohio each month as well, to all embassies, politically important locations in Washington D.C., nationally recognized colleges, Arab American organizations and companies doing business with the Middle East.[3][4]
Community involvement
Al-Sahafa partnered with a number of universities including Ohio's Case Western Reserve University to connect college students to the Arab community and provide them with an opportunity to work for a newspaper. Additionally, they work with WVIZ/PBS and WCPN/NPR to support their fundraising efforts. Salaheddine is a member of the Friendship Caravan Advisory Board[5] as well as a number of Arab-American social groups including:[4]
- Arab-American Community Center for Economic and Social Services
- Arab Americans of Central Ohio
- The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee
- The Cleveland American Middle East Organization
- The Lebanese-American Chamber of Commerce
- The Lebanese-Syrian Junior Women's League.