Jordanian journalists urged to free themselves of 'self-censorship'

By Hani Hazaimeh

AMMAN - Regional political developments pose a challenge to the local media, especially the mainstream, which have found themselves in a situation to push the envelope and report issues that have been taboo for decades.

Analysts and even the incumbent government blame the narrow margin of press freedom on “self-censorship” ensuing from several facts, including long years of martial law and state ownership of major media outlets.

According to a report by the Center for Defending the Freedom of Journalists (CDFJ) issued last year, over 95 per cent of journalists and editors acknowledged that they practiced self-censorship in their reporting. This was mainly attributed to being under constant fear of being questioned and summoned by the security agencies or sometimes for their conviction that their writings would be edited.

Despite the government’s openness to criticism in recent weeks, censorship is still practiced against journalists and columnists, said MP Jamil Nimri (Irbid, 2nd District), head of the Lower House National Guidance Committee. "Some of my articles were banned from publication before and even after I became a deputy," he added.

Even without receiving any directions from authorities, journalists have treaded very cautiously over sensitive issues such as religion, tribalism or even politics, said Nimri, who writes for Al Ghad daily.

"Reporters would also check with their chief editors regarding what can be published and what cannot and they write within this margin of press freedom. However, in many cases editors and chief editors take decisions on their own when deciding to publish or not to publish," Nimri said, adding that the fear of authorities' overseeing the editorial policies is ingrained in the minds of journalists.

However, the MP underlined authorities' dominance on the media sector either through the ownership of these mediums or using a “stick and carrot” policy, including government ads, as a pressuring tool.

With few exceptions, authorities' censorship is present in almost every mainstream media outlet, according to Nimri.

Al Arab Al Yawm Editor-in-Chief Fahd Kheitan agreed.

“The editorial policies in several media institutions are subject to the whim of governments for different considerations driven by government ownership of the medium’s shares or in many cases chief editors would compromise to keep their jobs,” Kheitan told The Jordan Times.

Kheitan urged “self-liberation from all fears” as key to addressing media self-censorship.

“The drastic changes must spur reform in the local media sector,” the left-leaning journalist said.

He said signs are already there. “Two months ago, it was almost impossible to speak about certain issues in public. Nowadays people are fearless as we see in the slogans they raise during the protests. Journalists must follow suit and be up to the responsibility of the profession,” he said.

CDFJ President Nidal Mansour put a historical touch on his analysis.

“Self-censorship is the product of long years of violations practiced against the freedom of the press since 1989. Journalists used to be summoned by security agencies, or threatened with legal action on charges related to what they write,” he said in a telephone interview Wednesday.

Mansour also blamed the lack of protection media institutions offer their reporters in case they “fall into trouble” as another factor that entrenched self-censorship, also citing the conservative background of top editors that led to the same output of the reporting process.

Meanwhile, Minister of State for Media Affairs and Communications and Government Spokesperson Taher Odwan, a former chief editor of the independent Al Arab Al Yawm, acknowledged that former governments interfered in the work of the press.

“Now things have changed and we are working on lifting all restrictions on the media,” he said.

“This is the challenge of journalists now. They should free themselves from fear. The freedom of the press cannot be granted. It is taken.”

Commenting on state ownership of main newspapers, through the large stakes controlled by the Social Security Corporation (SSC), he said: “We want to reach a stage when the SSC is free to take its decisions independently from any party” regarding its policies in the media companies where it controls the majority of boards.

Prohibitions in the Press and Publications Law

According to Article 38 of the Press and Publications Law for the year 1998, media outlets are prohibited from publishing materials that include:

1- Insult or abuse of religions whose practice is guaranteed by the Constitution.
2- Abuse of prophets in the form of writing, drawing, pictures, symbols or any other
means.
3- Insult to religious feelings and creeds, or incitement of religious or racist sedition.
4- Trespassing on the dignity and personal freedoms of individuals, including through publishing false information about them.

10 March 2011

Source: The Jordan Times.
Link: http://jordantimes.com/?news=35316.