IT'S JALIL HAMID

Abdul Jalil Hamid, Prime Minister's Media Supremo, has been tipped to take over the helm of The New Straits Times Press following the removal of Zainul Arifin Mohamed Isa as the Group Managing Editor.

Jalil is instrumental in advising Najib Razak on daily media exposure and it is understood that Jalil has succeeded in convincing the Prime Minister that he is the most suitable candidate to disseminate Najib's agenda through the three newspapers - New Straits Times, Berita Harian and Harian Metro - under NSTP's stable.

By Friday, Zainul will make a disgraceful exit as the Group Managing Editor to join a long list of former editors who, in one way or the other, were forced out by the Power-That-Be in Putrajaya.

For the record, Zainul was appointed to his post on July 1, 2009, and by Friday, his stint ends after 2 years 3 months in the job with NST's circulation hovering around 60,000 copies a day.