Akeed - Aya AlKhwaldeh –

The number of rumors that spread in July declined considerably compared to the past three months, as the number of rumors decreased to 29 in comparison to 43 rumors in June, 51 in May, and 49 in April.

The Jordanian Media Credibility Monitor (Akeed) attributed the drop the number of rumors mainly to gag orders which banned publishing any content related to a court case regarding a case in which a man allegedly killed his daughter, and the decision to suspend the Jordanian Teachers’ Syndicate’s council and close-down its headquarters.

The topics of the rumors spread in July varied, but the largest portion revolved around public affairs. These were often related to the education sector, and specifically addressed the General Secondary Education Certificate Examination (Tawjihi), in addition to a number of topics related to the Lower House.

Social media continues to be the primary source for the spread of rumors. In July, 21 rumors were spread via social media platforms, making up 72.5% of the total. Media outlets, meanwhile, promoted 8 rumors, or 27.5% of the total.

The source of the rumors: internal or external?

Akeed used a quantitative and qualitative methodology to address the subjects of the rumors spread through news websites, social media, and media outlets, and found that all 29 rumors spread in July originated within Jordan, whether via social media accounts or news sites, accounting for 100% of the total. No rumors were spread from social media accounts or news sites outside of Jordan.

Rumors sources according to the method of publication

Through its monitoring, Akeed found that 21 rumors originated from social media platforms, or 72.5% of the total. All 21 rumors were initiated by local accounts, making up 100% of the total. No rumors came from the social media accounts of Jordanians abroad.

Eight rumors, meanwhile, were spread by media outlets, making up 27.5% of the total. All oof them originated from local news sources. None of the rumors were published by Arab or regional media outlets.

Contents of the rumors

Rumors that dealt with public affairs were the most common, with 14 rumors, or 48.3%, falling in this category. There were an equal number of rumors that focused on political and economic issues, with 4 rumors in each category, or 13.8%. 2 rumors each focused on health affairs and social issues, or 6.9% of the total each. Lastly, four rumors were connected to security issues, making up 10.3% of the total.

From social media to media outlets

Two rumors spread from social media outlets to news sites during July, making up 6.9% of the total. This is approximately the same as the number of rumors that spread this way in June, when 3 rumors expanded from social media platforms to reach media outlets, making up 7% of that month’s total.

Local news sites, quoting posts from Facebook, published information claiming that a new media spokesperson had been appointed by the Ministry of Education, after the previous spokesperson, Walid al-Jalad, announced his retirement. This was denied by the ministry, which clarified that it had not issued any decision about the appointment of a new spokesperson.

The most prominent rumors: a breakdown by topic

Below are the most prominent rumors that Akeed monitored, which were spread widely through social media and news outlets, according to the topics designated by Akeed.

Rumors related to public affairs issues

Starting in May, Akeed used a new classification for rumors related to issues of public affairs, such as primary, secondary, and higher education, professional association, and decisions about official and national holidays.

One of the most widely-shared rumors on news sites during July, which received significant attention, was an alleged decision that would refer all public sector employees who served for 28 years for retirement. This was denied by the Minister of State for Prime Ministry Affairs, Sami al-Daoud, who confirmed that there was no decision of this nature on the Council of Ministers’ agenda. He stressed that this was merely a proposal presented by the relevant authorities, and that it was not adopted.

In July, local media outlets also spread a rumor connected to professional associations, claiming that the Jordanian Medical Association's pension fund had been liquidated. This was denied by the Chair of the Administrative Committee of the association, Dr. Mohammad Rasul al-Tarawneh. He stated that the financial difficulties of the pension were not a result of any new or surprising development, and that there was no intention to liquidate it.

Among the rumors related to the education sector, were ones related to tawjihi examinations. These included one rumor that the grading process for the exams had been stopped after a group of teachers withdrew from the grading team. The Director of the Testing Administration within the Ministry of Education, Ali Hamad, confirmed that this withdrawal would not affect the grading process.

Rumors related to health sector issues

A range of rumors connected to coronavirus, and the precautions and repercussions surrounding it, were spread in July. One, which was circulated on social media, claimed that member of the Parliament, Musleh al-Tarawneh, had been infected with the virus. Al-Tarawneh denied this rumor. He explained to media outlets that he had tried to reach the Health Minister, Saad Jaber, who did not answer. This, he said, prompted him to share a post on Facebook, saying “I am sick with coronavirus; I hope the Minister of Health calls me.”

Economic rumors

One of the most prominent economic rumors spread in July, which was published by local news outlets, claimed that the government would be reinstating a general sales tax on masks and disinfectant materials. This was denied by the Ministry of Finance’s Income and Sales Tax Department, which emphasized that there was no truth to this piece of information.

One rumor, which spread widely on social media platforms, said that the Kuwaiti Petrol Company (KPC) had job opportunities for Jordanians. The company denied that it, or any of its subsidiary companies, had a cooperative agreement with the Jordanian Ministry of Labor, and it further clarified that it had a standard system for posting job opportunities, which would always be done through official Kuwaiti government platforms.

Political Rumors

One political rumor, which was shared at the start of July on social media platforms, spread information about a list of 54 countries whose citizens would be permitted to enter the European Union (EU) immediately after the reopening of its borders on July 1st. The Foreign Ministry denied the accuracy of this list, stressing that it was “not official” and that Jordan had received no reports on this matter.

Senate President Faisal al-Fayez also denied rumors that were spread on social media about the likelihood of commissioning him to form a new government that succeedes the current government of Prime Minister Omar al-Razzaz. He emphasized that there was no truth to this information.

Social Rumors

Among the rumors that spread in July was one, which was denied by the Ministry of Youth, about the existence of night-time coed athletic activities. The ministry’s spokesperson Omar al-Azzam, clarified that mixed-gender groups were allowed to enter Prince Mohammad Stadium’s swimming facilities so that women could accompany their children when they went to swim, and that it did not mean that it was a co-ed facility.

Another rumor connected to social issues which Akeed found to be false, came from a audio- recording that was spread widely via WhatsApp. The recording claimed that a farm in Jerash was rented to host a private party for the staff of the American Embassy. The media spokesperson for the Public Security Directorate, Amer al-Sartawi, denied the accuracy of the recording.

Security rumors

The security services denied a number of rumors in July, among the most prominent of which is a rumor that a girl who was killed by her father had previously filed a domestic violence complaint with the Family Protection Department within the Public Security Directorate. This was denied by the Directorate in a statement issued by its media spokesperson.

Among the rumors which dealt with violent crime was one which was spread by social media users about the damage to the car of the head of the Royal Court, Youssef al-Aisawi. This was denied by the security services.