Tarawneh calls for ‘immediate support’ to Kingdom’s newspapers amid COVID-19 crisis

AMMAN — Jordan’s newspapers must be supported to continue their “indispensable national role” and should not be dealt with according to the principle of profit and loss, Lower House Speaker Atef Tarawneh said on Wednesday. 

During a meeting with Jordan Press Association President Rakan Saaydeh and general managers of newspapers, Tarawneh said that the Lower House has been following the print media crisis for years, noting that a number of laws have been amended to address the situation, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Highlighting that newspapers are facing “serious problems” amid the coronavirus crisis, Tarawneh called for “immediate support” to newspapers in order to allow them to maintain their presence and pay the salaries of their employees.

He also drew attention to the importance of newspapers’ role as the “main pillar” of channelling public opinion. Newspapers are an “objective source of information” at a time when rumours and misleading information are spread through social media, he said. 

During the meeting, Tarawneh was also briefed on the challenges newspapers are facing, along with means of overcoming the crisis, Petra added.