AMMAN - Prime Minister Samir Rifai on Sunday said the government is open to differing opinions and objective criticism.
During a visit to the Jordan News Agency, Petra, on the occasion of its 41st anniversary, the premier highlighted the importance of objective journalism.
Highlighting the code of conduct the government drafted late last year to regulate its relationship with the media, Rifai said the code seeks to encourage media outlets to objectively monitor the government's performance.
He stressed that the government "has nothing to hide" and has worked from the beginning to be completely transparent in order for the public to judge its performance.
During the meeting, attended by Minister of State for Media Affairs and Communications Nabil Sharif, who also serves as chairman of Petra's board of directors, the prime minister commended Petra for conveying Jordan's message to the world.
Rifai also encouraged the agency to raise its performance and introduce objective criteria to treat all social and political groups equally.
Established in 1969 upon a Royal Decree as the Kingdom's official news agency to transmit local, regional and international news to the rest of the world, Petra has evolved over the last four-and-a-half decades, according to Petra Director General Ramadan Rawashdeh.
"In its early days, the agency transmitted news via direct wire connection with its subscribers," he told The Jordan Times on Sunday, adding that Petra subsequently introduced newer techniques and switched to a daily wireless service.
In 1994, the agency introduced computers for editing and news transmission, becoming the first outlet in the Kingdom to provide an automated news service.
Last year, Parliament passed the Jordan News Agency Law, under which Petra became administratively and finically independent, enabling the agency to cover local, regional and international news events 18 hours a day, Rawashdeh noted.
To mark its 41st anniversary, which was observed on July 16, the Jordan News Agency issued its annual report, highlighting its achievements in 2009.
The agency, which has a staff of 285 including 163 journalists, transmitted 39,000 news items in English and Arabic in 2009 in addition to 8,410 photographs, according to the report.
Last year, the agency received the King Abdullah II Award for Excellence in Government Performance and Transparency while its website received the Sheikh Salem Al Ali Al Sabah Informatics Award.
The agency aims to increase its news coverage by 20 per cent by the end of the year, Rawashdeh pointed out.
"We will continue to work and improve our services to compete with the leading news agencies across the world," he said.
By Hani Hazaimeh and Petra
© Jordan Times 2010
