{{Short description|Palestinian television news anchorman (1953–2026)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2026}} {{Infobox person | name = Jamal Rayyan | image = Jamal_Rayyan.jpg | image_size = | caption = | native_name = جمال ريان | native_name_lang = ar | birth_date = {{Birth date|1953|8|23|df=y}} | birth_place = Tulkarm, Palestine | death_date = {{Death date and age|2026|3|15|1953|8|23|df=y}} | death_place = Qatar | occupation = {{hlist|Commentator|news anchor|journalist|syndicated columnist}} | years_active = 1974–2026 | height = 180 cm | website = }}
'''Jamal Rayyan''' ({{Langx|ar|جمال ريان}}; 23 August 1953 – 15 March 2026) was a Palestinian television anchorman with the Al Jazeera Television Network.<ref name="Fandy2007">{{cite book|last=Fandy|first=Mamoun|title=(Un)civil war of words: media and politics in the Arab world|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5QfURgCJmekC&pg=PA98|accessdate=25 July 2011|year=2007|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|isbn=978-0-275-99393-1|pages=98–}}</ref> He was the first broadcaster to appear on Al Jazeera Arabic channel when it was launched, and the presenter of the first news bulletin on the channel in 1996. Before that, he had worked for the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |title=جمال ريان |url=https://www.aljazeera.net/encyclopedia/2015/12/16/%D8%AC%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%84-%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%A7%D9%86 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250702213732/https://www.aljazeera.net/encyclopedia/2015/12/16/%D8%AC%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%84-%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%A7%D9%86 |archive-date=2 July 2025 |access-date=15 March 2026 |work=الجزيرة نت |language=ar}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Al Jazeera |url=http://www.aljazeera.net/reportsspeakers/pages/ef5c16aa-b325-4e31-8bae-cc08a95888e0 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140331003342/http://www.aljazeera.net/reportsspeakers/pages/ef5c16aa-b325-4e31-8bae-cc08a95888e0 |archive-date=31 March 2014 |access-date=15 March 2026 |website=Al Jazeera}}</ref>
==Life and career== Jamal Rayyan was born in Tulkarm, West Bank on 23 August 1953.<ref>{{Cite web|title=جمال ريان|url=https://www.aljazeera.net/encyclopedia/aljazeeranetwork/2015/12/16/جمال-ريان|access-date=26 May 2021|website=Al Jazeera|language=ar}}</ref>
From 1974 to 1989, Rayan worked as news reporter and presenter for the Jordan Radio and Television Corporation in Amman, Jordan.<ref>[http://www.aljazeera.net/reportsspeakers/pages/ef5c16aa-b325-4e31-8bae-cc08a95888e0 aljazeera]</ref>
Rayan worked as a news reporter for the Korean Broadcasting System.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |date=15 March 2026 |title=Jamal Rayyan, the first face of Al Jazeera, dies at 73 |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/3/15/jamal-rayyan-who-opened-al-jazeeras-first-broadcast-dies-at-73 |access-date=15 March 2026 |website=Al Jazeera |language=en}}</ref> He also worked for the BBC Arabic World Service in London<ref name=":2" /> and for Emirati television.<ref name=":2" />
From 1996 to 1997, Rayan worked with the Al Jazeera network in Doha, Qatar. He was the first broadcaster to appear on Al Jazeera Arabic channel when it was launched, and the presenter of the first news bulletin on the channel in 1996.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> He assisted in the channel's creation and in training and mentoring news presenters. Rayyan participated in news coverage of Iraq War, the War in Afghanistan, and the Arab Spring.<ref name=":2" />
Rayyan died in Qatar on 15 March 2026, at the age of 72.<ref>{{cite news |title=News anchor Jamal Rayyan passes away at 72 |url=https://en.royanews.tv/news/68359/News-anchor-Jamal-Rayyan-passes-away-at-72 |access-date=15 March 2026 |publisher=Roya News |date=15 March 2026}}</ref>
==See also== * List of news presenters
==References== {{Reflist}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Rayyan, Jamal}} Category:1953 births Category:2026 deaths Category:Al Jazeera people Category:21st-century Palestinian journalists Category:Palestinian broadcasters Category:People from Tulkarm