Akeed online portal launched to monitor media performance

AMMAN — Anyone seeking to verify the authenticity of a certain news item, or report professional or ethical violations published in print or online media will now be able to do so under a project launched Sunday.

The Jordan Media Institute (JMI) and the King Abdullah II Fund for Development’s (KAFD) Democratic Empowerment Programme (Demoqrati) launched the Media Credibility Website “Akeed”, which seeks to support the right of citizens to receive accurate information and help improve the performance of media in Jordan.

"The project seeks to engage citizens and all readers of online and print media, initially, in the process of ensuring the credibility of news," JMI Dean Bassim Tweissi told reporters.

The online portal (akeed.jo) will enable readers to submit applications to verify news and report violations, which will be later checked by a specialised team at Akeed, who will announce the results of their findings after looking into these applications, according to Tweissi.

Akeed will initially start by monitoring 50 print and online media outlets and later expand to cover 100 outlets in the next few months, he said, noting that audio and visual media outlets will be covered later.

The portal will publish daily reports outlining the main news items published by local media outlets, analyse their content and highlight any violations, according to the JMI.

Akeed will also provide monthly reports on the volume of news items as well as the main issues covered by the local media. 

In addition, it will identify information transparency indicators, news trends, incomplete follow-up of certain news stories and inaccurate news.

Omar Razzaz, chairman of KAFD's board of trustees, said the project is expected to raise media standards and improve performance.

“We need to re-examine the access to information law, as information should be available to everyone,” Razzaz said at the press conference, adding that Akeed will help the public distinguish between what is information and what is not.  

The KAFD, he said, is committed to financing the “strategic” project, providing the necessary training and helping in securing funds for it in the future.

In the fifth discussion paper published by His Majesty King Abdullah this month, the Monarch mentioned the “Monitoring the Credibility of Jordanian Media (Akeed)” project and referred to the role that it will play in engaging citizens in the process of ensuring the credibility of news reported by the media.

In the paper, King Abdullah said the initiative is designed to enable citizens to have reliable and accurate information on the most prominent issues concerning them by way of contributing to verifying the authenticity of reports and information reported by leading media institutions.

Tweissi stressed the importance of the portal in making information more accessible to media professionals, noting that Akeed will publish a monthly report with the names of organisations, public agencies and other entities that the portal communicates with to obtain information, identifying those that cooperate and provide information and those that do not.

According to a JMI statement, the project seeks to encourage the culture of quality journalism through continuous improvement of input and output. 

It also seeks to encourage the commitment of media outlets to performance monitoring tools such as “editorial guidelines” adopted by the Jordan Press Association as well as general rules for good professional practices in journalism.

“Akeed will deal with all media equally and with absolute transparency,” Tweissi said.

A number of training workshops will be held during the coming weeks on fact-checking skills to improve the performance of journalists and editorial staff, he added.