Amani Ghouleh is the President of Amani Media Inc., which took over managing and publishing Al-Offok Al-Arabi Newspaper (or “The Arab Horizon”) in June 2006. Today, the publication is a bilingual newspaper that brings in news reports, interviews, columns, commentary and reviews; and is a true reflection and connection to the Arab-American community. This resourceful monthly publication which maintains professional Arab American journalism has a staff of four and many free lancers and distributes 10,000 issues in the Chicago metropolitan area. Ms. Ghouleh is currently the paper’s Editor-in-Chief.
Amani Ghouleh was born in Jordan and raised in Kuwait. Her writing passion started early by covering college activity news for the school newspaper while pursuing her degree at the Amman College in 1992. She married and moved to Chicago in 1993, where she quickly became active through volunteer work and other projects in the Chicago community. She taught and managed the Lifta Association Arabic Tutoring Program. She later pursued her journalism training at the Al-Bayda Newspaper in Amman Jordan and Colombia College in Chicago.
Ms. Ghouleh started at the newspaper as a contributing writer in 1997 and wrote about everyday Arab American issues and community news, often reporting on local organizations and their events. Her reports highlighted the positive aspects of the local Arab American community and helped restore the negative image the political media had forged for Arabs in the United States. Later, she launched a column on women and social issues. She also covered Arab American conferences and conventions around the state, nationally and the world. Where ever she went, she always brought back a story.
Her reports cover issues, stories and events that are not published in the mainstream media. Amani Ghouleh continues to be determined to highlight the positive role of the area’s Arab-American community, with a goal to provide a true reflection of Chicago’s, as well as the nations, Arab-Americans. Believing in the need to grow a strong Arab and Muslim American voice in the media, she worked with local Islamic schools to promote student journalism. Ms. Ghouleh was awarded 2009 Excellence in Journalism award by ADC Chicago, and Contributing and supporting award from The Universal School.
In addition to being a member of numerous Arab American Organizations, she is also a current and active member of the National Arab American Journalist Association (NAAJA), Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), Investigative Reporting & Editing (IRE), American Women Journalists (AWJ), Journalism and Women Symposium (JAWS), and the Chicago Headline Club. And a board member of Chicago Arab American Anti Discrimination Committee (ADC)
Amani Ghouleh is proud to be the recipient of ADC Chicago 2009 Excellence of Journalism Award at ADC's 30th Annual Chicago Media Awards Banquet recognizing the efforts of a mainstream journalists and local American Arab journalists in addressing American Arab issues fairly and objectively and for showing courage in the face of bias. The event also honored news media for their efforts and support in keeping our Chicago land community informed.
Ms. Ghouleh is also the recipient of 2011 ACHJ Fellowship from The Association of Health Care and Journalism.
She has worked with American and International media production companies exporting news and issues about Arab American Community to overseas TV stations. Amani is married to engineer Abder Rahman Ghouleh and has four children: Sarah, Dana, Zayna and Ahmad.
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