AKEED, Aya Khawaldeh

Conflicting official statements on whether a concert for Greek composer Yanni will be held in Aqaba or not have confused local media. The issue has sparked a heated debate on social media platforms.

The story unfolded after publishing a photocopy of a letter issued by the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA), which was circulated on social media platforms, stating that ASEZA had allocated 100,000 Jordanian dinars (JDs) to support the concert. Afterward, the official agencies concerned with the issue began publishing news, which alternately talked about canceling the concert and confirming that it would be held.

While following this issue, the Jordanian Media Credibility Monitor (AKEED) observed how the media fell into the trap of officially misleading information by reporting conflicting statements, thus misleading and confusing public opinion, which had remained without information to settle the debate about holding the concert or canceling it.

AKEED followed the contradiction in media coverage of the issue after social media sites got busy with the document that they circulated and based on which they demanded the dismissal of Prime Minister Hani Mulki and the chief commissioner of ASEZA, arguing that such support comes amid difficult economic conditions suffered by Jordanian citizens due to the rise in the prices of many products.

Media stories were conflicting, with some speaking about canceling or delaying the concert, and others reporting that the concert would be held with or without government contribution. This was based on statements issued by ASEZA, which included contradictory information.

According to Abdul Mahdi Qatamin, official press spokesman of ASEZA, "the confusion in the local media arose from poor coordination by ASEZA and inaccuracy in answering questions by journalists to clarify the issue." It seems that the problem was also due to the fact that journalists had spoken to persons who are not parties to the issue and attributed statements, which were not made, to some officials.

Qatamin added: "One of the deputies called the chief commissioner of ASEZA and quoted him as saying that the concert would not be held. The deputy gave this information to a journalist, who published it and attributed it to the chief commissioner of ASEZA. Many media outlets carried the statements without going back to ASEZA sources that are authorized to speak."

Asked about his statement to a daily newspaper about canceling the concert, Qatamin said: "The correspondent of the newspaper contacted me, and I told him that I could not answer because an official statement would be carried shortly by the Jordan News Agency (Petra). I explained during the conversation that all options were open. He chose the option of cancelling the concert." Afterward, according to Qatamin, conflicting statements began to emerge in the media.

Initial press reports on the issue had carried headlines confirming "Cancellation of Yanni Concert in Aqaba." Many media outlets published news about canceling the concert, quoting Nasser Shraideh, chief commissioner of ASEZA. Meanwhile, other media outlets attributed the news to Abdul Mahdi Qatamin, official press spokesman of ASEZA, confirming the cancellation of the concert due to the angry reactions of social media users on their pages.

A daily newspaper, quoting a government source, published confirmation by the prime minister that the contribution would be an advance to be repaid from the proceeds of the concert. The report referred to the decision to cancel the concert, according to the official spokesman, although the concert was not canceled. The headline first read as follows: "Canceling Yanni"s Concert in Aqaba Due to Uproar Over Funding." It was then modified to read: "Mulki to ASEZA: Contribution to Yanni"s Concert Advance To Be Repaid."

A Jordanian satellite channel published a clarification by ASEZA about the reason for canceling the concert. It quoted an anonymous source in ASEZA as saying that canceling the concert of the renowned composer Yanni was due to the fact that it had no economic feasibility or touristic value for the city. It was published by other sites, which later modified the original story and said that the concert would take place and that ASEZA would support it.

Meanwhile, some media outlets confirmed the decision of the ASEZA chief commissioner to hold and support the concert in April, based on a statement by an official source in ASEZA, without mentioning his name. Numerous media outlets published the press release issued by ASEZA and carried by the Jordan News Agency, which confirmed holding the concert and contained a clarification by ASEZA of the nature of this contribution and the mechanism for recovering the sum from the proceeds.

Another site published statements by Shraideh about the concert to a satellite channel and his justification for supporting the concert with 100,000 JDs. Some of them interviewed Shraideh, who confirmed that the concert would be held on 16 April.

This was not the end of the story. After issuing the official statement on 17 February, a news site published a report on 18 February, quoting Abdul Mahdi Qatamin, official press spokesman of ASEZA, as saying that the concert was not canceled and that ASEZA had decided not to support it. This made the organizer, Friends of Jordan Festivals, go to the private sector. Qatamin denied this while speaking to AKEED. He said that the conversation with the news site referred to holding the concert based on the contribution that would be paid back from selling tickets and the contribution of the private sector, which had amounted to 265,000 JDs by the time this report was drafted. He denied making a statement about canceling the contribution, which was approved by ASEZA"s Board of Commissioners on 17 February.

Qatamin noted that the amount of 100,000 JDs was divided between ASEZA and the Aqaba Development Corporation. Each of them will pay 50,000 JDs. The media outlets that published the news did not refer to this, with the exception of one news site.

The confusion was removed after a press conference held by Nasser Shraideh, chief commissioner of ASEZA, on 20 February to speak about the new plan to return the city of Aqaba to the international economic scene. During the conference, he said that the Yanni concert would be held on time and would be supported by the abovementioned amount. He also explained its importance for promoting Aqaba internationally.