‘No serious media violations’ recorded in Jordan

AMMAN — Media experts on Thursday said Jordan's progress in the 2018 World Press Freedom Index was a "positive step", as the government pledged continued support to media freedoms.

The experts pointed out that there are "no serious media violations", saying that the country's ranking can improve further if some measures are taken to facilitate the work of media professionals and ensure better access to information.

Jordan ranked 132th out of 180 countries in the 2018 index, gaining six positions compared to 2017.

Regionally, Kuwait ranked 105th globally, followed by Qatar, 125th, Oman, 127th, and the UAE, which seized the 128th place. Jordan was followed by Iraq which came in the 160th place, Egypt, 161st, and Saudi Arabia, 169th place.

"This is a very positive progress, but we can even have a better ranking," Chief Editor of Al Rai daily Tareq Momani told The Jordan Times, adding that "if government agencies provide easier access to information to media professionals, it would help boost the country's ranking and enhance the overall press freedoms”.

"No major violations such as kidnapping or killing of journalists were recorded in Jordan; we just need to get rid of bureaucracy at some public agencies which would directly enhance our position," Momani said.

Nidal Mansour, president of the Amman-based Centre for Defending Freedom of Journalists, echoed similar remarks.

"Because there are no major violations, Jordan's ranking can improve but the authorities need to refrain from some practices such as banning media from covering some events," Mansour stated.

In 2017, the centre reported some 30 violations when authorities banned media professionals from covering the story related to the release of Ahmad Dagamseh, a soldier who killed seven Israeli girls in 1997 and was released by authorities after serving 20 years in prison. 

The centre also reported some 40 cases of media professionals being banned from moving freely to cover the decentralisation and municipal elections.

Minister of State for Media Affairs Mohammad Momani hailed the progress shown in the report, saying: "This is good news for Jordan…we have always been supportive of more press freedoms and we will continue to do so."

"We will also continue to provide information to media and ensure that they have easy access to the data they need, which we believe will facilitate their work and role," Momani told The Jordan Times.

Stressing that the government is constantly assessing the situation to make further improvements, the minister voiced pride in the performance of Jordanian media as he stressed on the need to abide by the ethics of professional journalism. 

Globally, the Kingdom scored 41.71 in the 2018 ranking, improving from its 2017 score of 43.24.

Regarding the country's press environment, the media watchdog noted that Jordan’s media "take care to observe the red lines set by the authorities", stressing that journalists are subject to "close surveillance by the intelligence services" and must be affiliated to the state-controlled Jordanian Press Association. 

"The authorities have stepped up control especially over the Internet since 2012, when the press and publications law was overhauled. Hundreds of websites have been blocked since 2013, mostly on the grounds that they have no licence," Reporters Without Borders said on their website.

Under the 2015 cyber crime law, articles published in online newspapers and posts by citizen-journalists on social networks can be punishable by jail sentences and constitute grounds for pre-trial detention. 

"Security grounds are often used to prosecute and sometimes jail journalists under an extremely vague terrorism law," the index noted, claiming that gag orders issued by the media commission restrict the public debate and limit journalists’ access to information on sensitive issues.

The report also indicated that Jordan took part in the Saudi-led "diplomatic offensive" against Qatar in 2017, closing Al Jazeera’s Amman bureau.