Spotlights

Dr. Khalaf Tahat

Dr. Khalaf Tahat is an assistant professor in the Media and Creative Industries at the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Dr. Tahat has a Ph.D. in Journalism from the University of Oklahoma / Norman-Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication. Dissertation: Professionalism, Market, and Cultural Values in News Production, and a Masters of Journalism from the Arkansas State University Thesis entitles: covering terrorism: A comparative analysis of Al Jazeera and Al Arabiya news sites.

Dr. Tahat Research interests are news sociology, media credibility, digital journalism, political communication, and journalism pedagogy, he has 40 publications: 18 in Arabic and 22 in English, and 27 were published in Scopus index, Elsevier, Springer.

Dr. Tahat is a mixture of academic and professional journalistic practice, which is reflected in linking journalism concepts with skills and transferring them to his media students. During his 8 years of academic experience, Dr. Tahat worked as the dean of mass communication college at Yarmouk University (2019-2021), Vice-dean (2015-2019), director of Yarmouk Radio FM (2015-2018), member of the Board of Directors at Jordanian News Agency (2019-2021), and a member of Directors at Jordanian Radio and TV Foundation (2020-2021). Dr. Tahat also was the Head of the Jordanian Press Association of the north branch (2018-2021).

Besides his academic experience, Dr. Tahat has extensive experience in journalism, he was a reporter at Al Rai Newspaper in Jordan (2003-2010) specializing in the files of security affairs, political parties, and Islamic groups. Also, he worked journalist at Al Watan and Al-Sharq Newspaper in Doha after he graduated from Qatar University (1999-2003) he specialized in diplomatic affairs.

Since 2010 Dr.Tahat is constantly writing articles and press analyses about media, press issues, and regional affairs in many of the most prominent newspapers and news sites in Jordan, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait.

Dr. Tahat received the graduate Students Research Award” from the College of Communication at Arkansas State University in 2011, as well as the “Top Scholar Award” for Highest Graduate Student Ranking from Arkansas State University.

He also received “The Inquirer Award” in 2002 as the best investigative journalist, organized by the World Thomson Foundation in cooperation with the British Embassy in Amman about "judicial reform in Jordan".