Gov’t seeks to incorporate media education in school, college curricula — minister

AMMAN — Minister of State for Media Affairs and Government Spokesperson Jumana Ghunaimat on Thursday said that the media education project aims at raising awareness among the youth about how to deal with social media.

Ghunaimat made her remarks during a meeting with the deanships of student affairs and heads of student unions, as well as media and public relations directors in public and private universities, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

She pointed out that the government has placed media education for the students of schools and universities among its priorities, in partnership with the ministries of youth, higher education and education, in order to enhance the culture of dealing with social media and promote the appropriate usage of technology, in addition to identifying ways of dealing with information circulating on social media.

She also pointed out that accuracy when circulating or sharing information boosts credibility in the eyes of the public and society, shutting down rumours and discrediting invalid misleading information.

She explained that rumours and fabricated news circulation was the reason behind lunching the “Haggak Tiraf” (in English “your right to know”) online platform.

It is because rumours had targeted the constants and pillars of state and society that such a step became necessary to directly address them, she added.

Ghunaimat noted that the strategy being addressed in the national media message is aimed at bridging the trust gap by empowering official media, including spokespeople and respective departments in all institutions.

Furthermore, she stressed that the government does not intervene in the work of official media institutions, in order to entrench independence and give more freedom to these institutions to carry out their mission.

Meanwhile, the role of the government is limited to ensure a balance when it comes to addressing issues raised in the public sphere and maintaining the media’s professionalism and mission.