Lebanese journalist and publisher of "As-Safir" newspaper, Talal Salman, passed away today, crowning a successful lifetime career in media and journalism.

A prominent and well-read journalist, the late Talal Salman published on March 26, 1974, the newspaper “As-Safir” in Beirut, which served its readers as an independent political daily - that bore the slogan “Lebanon’s newspaper in the Arab world and the Arab world newspaper in Lebanon….” For decades, it had been a media reference in Arab and Lebanese affairs and an influence to public opinion.

Salman, who hailed from the Lebanese town of Shmastar, devoted his lifetime to the world of press and described his steps along the path to journalism as he described the state of the Lebanese press and the development of its path to become “the modern Arab press.”

The late was a member of the Lebanese Press Syndicate Council from 1976 until 2015, and was also famous for his dialogues with the majority of Arab presidents, leaders and officials.

On May 7, 2010, he was awarded by the Faculty of Mass Communication at the Lebanese University an honorary doctorate degree, in recognition of his unique role in journalism, media, and journalistic literature.

On January 4, 2017, Talal Salman voluntarily chose to close down “As-Safir” newspaper, and then embarked on his “On the Road” writings on the website named after him: Talalsalman (https://talalsalman.com), which provided a platform for a large number of friends of “As-Safir” and Talal Salman to appear from Lebanon and the Arab world.