Activists on social media circulated a picture, which they said is of "a ghost at Al-Ramtha Public Hospital." The story was then carried on some electronic sites as news! This reflects the weak professional and legal culture in handling such published material. On other sites, the news item was attributed to a satellite channel that was not named. It was said that the channel broadcast a report on this issue, but this could not be proven.

These sites published pictures of a window, which they said is of one of the hospital rooms, with a circle placed by the editor indicating the presence of the alleged ghost. The news items written on the incident were within the framework of casting doubt on the story, but the use of sensational headlines and pictures with the story suggested that the story was real.

Dr. Yousef Tahat told AKEED that this news is unbelievable. He found it strange that it was carried as truthful. He called on the media to seek accuracy and obtain information from its sources. He said: "We have nothing to hide. We always cooperate with media inquiries and questions transparently."

Tahat pointed out that he had learned about the story from the media, confirming in this context that out of the media outlets that published the story, he had only received a telephone call from the site jo24. This site published the news under the following eye-catching headline: "Tahat Tells Jo24: Ghosts Overseeing Patients…Senior Member of Jinn Supervises Delivery Operations." The site carried "sarcastic" statements by hospital director Yousef Tahat, who criticized the media at the end of his statements, saying: "What media is this! What nonsense! What a shame!"

The "news" was also published on another site under the headline "Truth About Existence of Ghost in Al-Ramtha…Pictures." It read as follows: "Activists and pages on social media have circulated a picture inside Al-Ramtha Public Hospital, which was said to be that of a ghost inside one of the rooms in the hospital. The picture was circulated on a large scale. However, many who saw the picture expressed doubt about it."

Several sites published the same wording, along with the same picture, while other news sites deleted it.

In this context, AKEED would like to point out that when a journalist handles material published on social media sites, he has to subject it to the standards and requirements of the profession. In these cases, media outlets should follow the rule: "Sources versus platforms." This means that journalists should contact the authorized sources that have to do with the case, rather than depend on what is published on "platforms." Experience has shown that a lot of news on social media sites is doubtful and does not meet the established specifications of a news story. This news is not always deemed a reliable source.

AKEED had published a report under the headline "Sensational and Eye-Catching Headlines: Trick Exposed by Content." It presented examples of news headlines, which are not related to the content. It also published a report on a similar case from the city of Al-Ramtha as well, carried by the media, headlined "Jinn Mermaid Appears to Two Jordanians and Kills Them in Wadi al-Shallalah in Al-Ramtha." Akeed confirmed that the story was untrue after verifying the video that was disseminated then.