AMMAN -- Media leaders on Wednesday underscored the importance of training as a tool to ensure professional media and called for ending the authorities' dominance on the sector.
In a brainstorming session organised by Al Rai Centre for Research (ARCR), the participants criticised "constant attempts" by the government to undermine the media's role as the fourth estate to oversee public institutions' performance and expose any violations of laws and regulations.
During the seminar, HRH Princess Rym Ali, founder and president of the Jordan Media Institute, said training is key to media development; however, it is an ongoing process that should be conducted in an institutional manner.
"Not only should media institutions adopt training policies, but they should also implement what their journalists learn in their daily work. This should be an ongoing process in order to keep pace with the developments in the sector," she said, stressing that journalists should also work in a comfortable environment in terms of legislation governing press freedom, as well as financial stability and job security.
In this regard, Princess Rym called for strengthening cooperation between media institutions and local universities teaching journalism. She also suggested adopting a media programme to be implemented at public and private schools to raise students' awareness on the importance of media and its role in society.
Meanwhile, Jordan Press Association President Tareq Momani said the sector is witnessing a metamorphosis in the wake of the Arab Spring, which posed a challenge to the media to report the ongoing developments with neutrality and credibility.
"This year was the worst in the history of the media in the Kingdom as the number of assaults against journalists reached an unprecedented figure, amounting to 15 cases, mostly attributed to the media's role in criticising the authorities' performance. It is high time for this to stop, so the media can do its job freely and without constant fear of the authorities or society," Momani said.
Former government spokesperson and Al Ghad Chief Editor Ayman Safadi said government policies with regard to the media have been inconsistent over the past years, adding that the time of controlling the media has gone thanks to the digital age.
"The power of disseminating news is no longer solely in the hands of journalists. The new forms of media, social and online, have made it possible for everyone to spread the news in no time," he noted.
However, Safadi warned that the rapid pace of development in the various media tools is a double-edged sword as it led to some violations of the profession's ethics.
"No one can control the digital media anymore. Traditional media will have to compete with the new form of media in terms of quality and credibility of the news reported in order to ensure its sustainability. At the end of the day, readers will decide," he said.
The seminar participants also underscored the importance of adopting a clear media strategy that paves the way for development, provided that the strategy is decided by the sector and not imposed by outsiders.
ARCR Director Khaled Shaqran said the meeting, which was held to discuss challenges the sector faced this year, would provide the centre with feedback to be used in its report, which will be issued on January 15 next year.
© Jordan Times 2011
