General Policy for Media and Government Communication
Legal Basis: Administrative Organization Bylaw of the Ministry of Government Communication No. 65 of 2022
Scope of Implementation: Ministry of Government Communication in cooperation with ministries and government institutions
Prepared by: Ministry of Government Communication
Objectives:
- Preparing the General Policy for Media and Government Communication and the plans and programs necessary for its implementation.
- Enhancing the confidence of the public, citizens, and media and communication outlets in government policies and communication processes.
Foundations:
- The Jordanian Constitution and the fundamental principles it contains, which affirm that the State guarantees freedom of opinion within the limits of the law.
- The Royal Vision for Media, which calls for building a modern Jordanian media system that serves as a pillar for achieving political, economic, social, and cultural development.
- The document of the Royal Committee to Modernize the Political System, which indicated that modern media and the free flow of information are among the requirements for political modernization.
- International agreements, treaties, and obligations that affirm respect for human rights and freedom of opinion and expression.
Key Areas:
- Communication with the Public and Media
- Media Legislation
- Media Outlets
- Social Media
- Political Modernization
- Economic and Administrative Modernization
- Reports on Media Freedoms
- Development Media
First Area: Communication with the Public and Media
The Government recognizes that building a relationship based on trust and credibility with the public requires proactively making information available, responding positively to media inquiries, and keeping the public and media regularly informed about the Government's directions, plans, and priorities. It also requires communication and dialogue with citizens on priority public issues so that they can form their positions and opinions based on facts and information through objective media discussion.
The Government also recognizes the importance of building a positive and constructive relationship with licensed media outlets and maximizing their role in constructively highlighting achievements, identifying shortcomings, and monitoring government performance. Accordingly, the Ministry will work on the following:
- Activating government communication channels with media outlets according to professional standards and strengthening dialogue with citizens and the public.
- Preparing government media messages in cooperation with government media units in ministries and institutions to ensure the flow of the official government narrative.
- Organizing regular government media briefings that ensure openness toward licensed media outlets and positive engagement with them.
- Establishing a transparent, simple, and prompt mechanism for managing media inquiries and ensuring compliance with it according to professional standards and defined performance indicators.
- Empowering media spokespersons working in ministries and government institutions to ensure the flow of information to the public, while developing their capabilities, providing training, motivating them, and granting them the necessary authorities.
- Developing government media plans in coordination and cooperation with media spokespersons and media units in ministries and government institutions.
- Developing an executive action plan for the General Policy for Media and Government Communication.
- Expanding citizens' participation in government decision-making, programs, and projects by strengthening the role of media spokespersons in clearly and transparently presenting their institutions' policies, objectives, and methods of implementation, while conveying constructive opinions, comments, and ideas to decision-makers in government institutions.
- Activating the Right to Access Information Law and ensuring the prompt provision of information to applicants.
- Establishing a database that enables media outlets to access different types of information.
- Strengthening the relationship between official government discourse and the private sector by establishing a common policy for communicating information.
- Reinforcing professional, objective, and ethical standards in all media activities and establishing standards and indicators for measuring and improving practices.
- Achieving transparency and clarity in the interaction of government institutions with media organizations and citizens through accurate, credible, and comprehensive information.
Second Area: Media Legislation
The Government continuously seeks to improve legislation governing media work by benefiting from international best practices and building on the environment of media openness adopted by Jordan, which has led to important reforms in the media landscape. It recognizes the importance of continuing media reform efforts to attract media investments that positively contribute to the national economy and employment opportunities. Accordingly, the Ministry will seek to:
- Review media legislation with the aim of improving it and keeping pace with rapid technological developments.
- Encourage media outlets of all types to establish self-regulation mechanisms and arrangements for receiving and addressing public complaints.
- Establish a mechanism to promptly provide media outlets with information about important national events in order to reduce rumors and increase confidence in the government narrative.
- Provide a government and legislative environment that encourages media investment, while highlighting and promoting the advantages required by the media industry, particularly location, human resources, content, and technology, at the Arab and international levels.
- Encourage policies and decisions that strengthen citizens' freedom of opinion.
- Support national discussion on amending the Jordan Press Association Law, including classifications relating to members who meet membership requirements and are entitled to stand for election and vote, journalism and media graduates who have not obtained employment in their field, and reconsideration of the conditions and requirements for practicing the profession.
Third Area: Media Outlets
Government and official media outlets serve as sources of information and news and are important platforms for constructive public debate and support for political modernization. Private media outlets also play an important and central role in this regard. The Ministry must provide the legal and political environment that enables media outlets to perform their duties within the framework of the law and the higher interests of the State, while preserving the important achievement represented by media pluralism, which enriches public debate and public opinion. Based on the desired role of all national media outlets, the Ministry will work to:
- Support government media outlets and encourage them to become more responsive to the aspirations and needs of the public and reflect these needs in their news coverage.
- Enhance the efficiency of employees in official media institutions, develop their media and communication skills, and strengthen their practical capabilities.
- Encourage local newspapers and print publications to pursue digital transformation and adopt business plans and models that increase profitability and enable media outlets to continue and grow.
- Encourage joint productions among media outlets to achieve integration with cultural and creative industries and enhance the competitiveness of Jordanian media products.
- Support training programs, capacity building, and content development for media outlets in partnership with relevant specialized entities.
- Evaluate the effectiveness of government advertising in supporting media outlets and encourage them to develop comprehensive modernization plans that contribute to the sustainability of their resources and strengthen their capabilities.
- Support official media institutions by providing them with the requirements for digital transformation and digital media production, enabling their staff to receive training and keep pace with developments in this field.
- Organize training courses for official media staff on digital media techniques and artificial intelligence tools in support of the media sector in Jordan.
- Enable official media institutions to attract experts and specialists in journalism and media through appropriate legal means.
- Train Jordanian journalism and media personnel on the effective use of social media and provide them with the necessary skills in digital media writing, photography, editing, digital applications, and other technical areas required by these platforms.
- Encourage media and journalism institutions to produce more investigative journalism content.
- Encourage print and electronic journalism, Jordanian satellite channels, and radio stations during their transition toward modern technology.
- Reinforce a balanced approach in writing journalistic content and in hosting experts and specialists in public affairs by Jordanian media and journalism institutions.
- Organize accredited training courses in media, journalism, news editing, and electronic media for recent graduates.
Fourth Area: Social Media
Social media provides positive tools for disseminating knowledge and strengthening freedom of expression, in addition to its positive economic effects in marketing and competition. However, social media also entails risks and negative effects, including illegal content and inaccurate information. Attention must also be drawn to the negative impact of the increasing share of advertising revenues captured by social media platforms owned by international media companies, as well as changes in global and local advertising markets. In response to this reality, the Ministry will seek to:
- Work locally, regionally, and internationally to encourage media and information literacy efforts and expand their inclusion in Jordanian schools and universities to protect society against fake news, misinformation, and disinformation campaigns.
- Support government social media platforms and strengthen their capabilities and roles within government communication efforts.
- Combat hate speech and all forms of digital hatred directed against Arab and Muslim communities.
- Strengthen media content supporting Jordan's international efforts concerning Arab, Islamic, and humanitarian causes, foremost among them the Palestinian cause, Jerusalem, and its Islamic and Christian holy sites.
- Coordinate at the Arab level to establish legislation regulating social media platforms in a manner that ensures the protection of minors, the removal of illegal content, particularly hate speech, the protection of Arab journalistic content and users' data and privacy from commercial exploitation, and the collection of financial revenues from social media platforms owned by international media companies to support local media according to publicly announced standards.
- Activate government communication channels to follow up on citizens' issues and ensure that official media serves as a platform through which citizens' concerns can be highlighted, while strengthening and expanding digital media and digital communication.
- Encourage citizens to engage positively with digital media through media and information literacy programs that strengthen interaction with digital communication platforms and the Internet, clarify the concepts of national interest, social peace, integration, social cohesion, and targeted content, and reject inaccurate, false, and fabricated information that harms individuals and society.
Fifth Area: Political Modernization
Political modernization represents one of the most important national projects and the principal reform initiative in the second centennial of the Jordanian State. Its core objective is to establish elected parliaments based on programs and political parties capable of participating in executive authority. The success of this project requires continuous and objective national dialogue that ensures the participation of all relevant parties in this reform and modernization effort, in addition to encouraging participation in political parties based on programs that respond to citizens' needs and aspirations for a better present and future. Accordingly, the Ministry will:
- Support the efforts of ministries and government institutions concerned with increasing political and partisan awareness and participation.
- Encourage media outlets of all types to sustain public debate and public interest in issues of political reform, modernization, and political and partisan participation.
- Raise awareness of the importance of women and youth and provide adequate media coverage of these sectors, the main challenges they face, success stories, and women's and youth volunteer initiatives.
- Encourage the establishment of media studies and research departments within official media and journalism institutions to conduct studies in the field of media that serve the Jordanian public.
- Continue encouraging official media outlets to provide political parties with appropriate and equal media space.
Sixth Area: Economic and Administrative Modernization
The Government has completed the Kingdom's Economic Modernization Vision, which is based on two strategic pillars: accelerated growth through unleashing Jordan's full economic potential and improving the quality of life for all citizens. It also completed the Executive Program for the Economic Modernization Vision 2023–2025. In parallel, the Government completed the Public Sector Modernization Roadmap and its first Executive Program for 2022–2025, with the objective of achieving an efficient and effective public sector. Accordingly, the Government recognizes the importance of maximizing efforts to implement the Executive Program of the Economic Modernization Vision and the Public Sector Modernization Roadmap, and the Ministry will work collaboratively to:
- Explain the Economic Modernization Vision, the Public Sector Modernization Roadmap, and their respective executive programs to the public and media in cooperation with relevant entities.
- Develop media plans to promote the initiatives and priorities contained in the Executive Program of the Economic Modernization Vision and the Executive Program of the Public Sector Modernization Roadmap.
- Establish a specialized government media center to manage sensitive issues and communicate accurate information and news.
- Intensify government awareness programs through various media, field activities, print materials, messages, and drama, and enrich public debate among citizens in a balanced, objective, and professional manner to achieve fairness and public satisfaction.
- Monitor public opinion and communicate citizens' views to institutions with the aim of developing services according to their aspirations, needs, and ambitions.
Seventh Area: Reports on Media Freedoms
The Government continuously monitors Jordan's ranking in reports related to freedom of opinion and expression, media freedoms, and human rights, and recognizes the impact of these reports on Jordan's international reputation and media investment trends. Accordingly, the Ministry will:
- Follow up on media reports addressing Jordanian affairs, study and respond to their data and findings, and engage with the organizations issuing such reports to provide clarification and communicate facts.
- Benefit from international, Arab, and local media reports relating to freedom of opinion and expression in reform, modernization, and media openness efforts, in partnership with all relevant entities.
- Conduct and publish media research and studies addressing developments in Jordan's media sector locally and internationally.
- Cooperate with foreign media outlets to convey a positive image of the Kingdom in coordination with relevant entities.
- Organize meetings and interviews for guests of the Kingdom in cooperation and coordination with the relevant entities.
- Publish monthly achievement reports on government media to document communication with the public.
- Address observations contained in international indicators and use them to improve the state of freedoms.
Eighth Area: Development Media
The Government's communication role complements the role of development media in highlighting specific issues and topics for the purpose of raising awareness and improving the quality of life of individuals and society. The national development agenda includes numerous topics requiring greater awareness and education, including climate and environmental issues, physical and mental health, smoking and drug abuse, consumption patterns, employment and education choices, volunteerism and active citizenship, and urban development. Given the impact of these issues on society and individuals, and the important role of media in shaping how these issues are received and addressed, the Ministry will seek to:
- Build partnerships with media outlets, civil society organizations, and donor entities to cooperate in designing and implementing effective and sustainable awareness and communication campaigns on issues of national priority.
- Conduct public consultations with different segments of society to obtain feedback that supports decision-making, public policymaking, and government planning.
- Encourage and support development-oriented and awareness-raising media production and participate in public awareness campaigns.
- Cooperate with media outlets, the private sector, civil society organizations, and donor entities to encourage purposeful drama productions addressing national issues.
- Engage with pressing social issues that support development efforts relating to women and youth.
- Focus on field research and external media promotion of Jordan through its embassies.