By Hani Hazaimeh
AMMAN - Ninety-four per cent of journalists in Jordan practise self-censorship, according to a survey conducted by the Centre for Defending the Freedom of Journalists (CDFJ) to mark World Press Freedom Day.
"This year, the survey highlighted self-censorship exercised by journalists in Jordan as well as the phenomenon of bloggers in the Kingdom and the increasing role of citizen journalists within the electronic media revolution," CDFJ Director Nidal Mansour said at a press conference to announce the results on Saturday.
This year’s survey, conducted between February 23 and March 13, covered a sample of 1,200 journalists, members of the Jordan Press Association as well as those registered with the CDFJ, he noted.
Asked which issues they voluntarily avoid discussing, 98 per cent of the polled journalists said everything related to the Armed Forces, while 81 per cent cited religious issues. Meanwhile, 78 and 77 per cent respectively said they avoid criticising tribal and Arab leaders; 74 per cent said they don’t discuss sex issues, and 54 per cent said they keep away from criticising the government.
Conducted by a specialised team of independent researchers, the survey also revealed that 68 per cent of respondents believe that government interference in the media has increased in recent years, compared to less than 8.5 per cent in 2004.
Half the polled journalists believe that the status of press freedom has not changed, while 38 per cent said it achieved progress and 11 per cent feel it encountered setbacks, according to the poll, which also revealed that 57 per cent described the status of press freedom as moderate or good, compared to only 5 per cent who said it was excellent.
Moreover, 76.3 per cent of journalists believe that abolishing the Higher Media Council had no effect on press freedoms, while 67 per cent said that creating the position of minister of state for media affairs and communications is a step toward reviving the Ministry of Information.
The questionnaire included 157 queries on journalists’ views and positions on press freedom issues in the Kingdom.
"We have taken measures to overcome the problems and difficulties that faced the research team last year, especially with answers to the open-ended questions. The latter were replaced with closed questions based on the results of the polls conducted in previous years," Mansour said.
In addition, the survey indicated the CDFJ's legal media aid unit (MELAD) managed to document and track 33 complaints that included 47 violations of journalists’ rights.
"The 2008 report reflects a drop in the number of complaints that were tracked in 2007. The most common complaints tracked by MELAD in 2008 were the denial of freedom followed by threats, harassment, electronic piracy and assault, detention, libel and publication and coverage bans," Mansour added.
The CDFJ report recommended reviewing the laws that restrict the freedom of journalists so that they conform with international standards, as well as activating the roles of official spokespersons of ministries and official agencies so they can help journalists access information in accordance with international standards of transparency.
The recommendations also highlighted the need to devise a guide to good conduct and rules of action to govern the relations between the security services and journalists to ensure independent media coverage of events in areas of tension and crisis.
