Akeed - Aya al-Khwaldeh - The number of rumors recorded in June declined noticeably in comparison with April and May, as 43 rumors were recorded in June, in comparison with 51 in May and 49 in ِApril.

The topics of the June’s rumors varied, but the largest portion of the rumors were related to economic issues, and the impact of the novel coronavirus on the economy. The share of rumors connected to security issues also rose in June, due to the large amount of incorrect information about the curfew and the occurrence of several crimes and accidents.

Social media sites are still the leading source for spreading and promoting rumors: 31 rumors, or 72% of the total for May, were started or shared on social media platforms. Meanwhile, media outlets promoted 12 rumors in June, accounting for 28% of all recorded rumors.

The source of the rumors: internal or external?

The Jordanian Media Credibility Monitor (Akeed) used a quantitative and qualitative methodology to address the subjects of the rumors spread through news websites, social media platforms, and media outlets, and found that 39 of the rumors originated within Jordan, whether through social media accounts or news websites, making up 90.7% of the total. Meanwhile, only four rumors originated from outside the country, accounting for 9.3% of the total.

Rumor sources according to the method of publication

Akeed found through its monitoring that 31 rumors (72% of the total) originated from social media outlets. Out of those 31 rumors, 30 (97%) were published by local accounts, while only one rumor came from the accounts of Jordanians abroad, which made up 3% of the total.

A total of 12 rumors were promoted by media outlets, making up 28% of the total. Only nine of those rumors (75%) were published by local media outlets, while the remaining three came from Arab and regional outlets, accounting for 25% of the total.

Content of the rumors

Eight rumors were spread public affairs, and a similar number of rumors discussed security issues, each accounting for 18.6% of the total. The number of rumors spread about economic issues, meanwhile, reached its highest percentage yet, with 9 rumors that made up 21% of the total. Seven rumors connected to the health sector were also recorded in June, making up 16.2% of the total, while six rumors connected to the political sector were recorded, making up 14% of the total. Finally, the number of rumors about social issues dropped to its lowest share yet, with just five rumors that made up 11.6% of the total.

From social media to media outlets

Three rumors spread from social media to news sites during June, accounting for 7% of the month’s rumors. This is a slight increase in comparison to the percentage of rumors that spread in a similar way during May, when 3 rumors (5.8% of all rumors for that month), spread from social media to news outlets.

Local news sites published information from “Twitter” platform, claiming that coronavirus cannot be transmitted by asymptomatic carriers of the disease., a claim that Health Minister Saad Jaber said was false. He said that while the World Health Organization (WHO) mentioned several limited studies suggesting that the disease could not be spread in those circumstances, the WHO is still relying on more rigorous studies that suggest that asymptomatic individuals can spread the disease.

Local news outlets, quoting social media, also published a copy of a canceled official letter about the Cabinet’s annulment of a decision to grant discounts and cancel fines on the Land and Property Tax for the current year and previous years, and for professional licences. Government agencies clarified that the decision was modified in order to expand tax deductions and exemptions of fines.

The most prominent rumors: a breakdown by topic

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

Rumors related to public affairs

Starting in May, Akeed used a new classification for rumors related to issues of public affairs, such as education, labor unions, and decisions about official and national holidays.

Among the public affairs-related rumors that spread throughout June via social media and news sites, was one about the reopening of wedding halls. A number of social media accounts, quoting news sites, shared a recommendation from the National Committee for Epidemics, about reopening the wedding reception industry within certain conditions, starting in July. This was denied by the National Center for Security and Crises Management, which confirmed that everything that had been shared was inaccurate.

Among the rumors spread during the end of June was one connected to the education sector, about an announcement that was spread through social media about a decision by the University of Jordan to cancel the summer semester for the current academic year. The university administration clarified that this is untrue, and stated that it will start an investigation into the source of the announcement.

Health Rumors

A variety of rumors related to the coronavirus, its repercussions, and the procedures surrounding it were spread in June. Some social media users circulated a rumor about the infection of both the Minister of State for Media affairs Amjad Adaileh and the Minister of the Local Administration Walid al-Masri with coronavirus. Adaileh clarified that what had been shared was an incomplete clip taken from his conversation with a local satellite channel, which provided misleading information.

Another piece of misinformation that spread about coronavirus on social media, and through WhatsApp in particular, claimed that the WHO announced the end of coronavirus, and the opening of all sectors, following an announcement that the virus is a human conspiracy. Others, meanwhile, spread misinformation that the virus was not contagious.

Economic rumors

Among the most prominent economic rumors spread during June, which was spread by social media users and employment platforms, were several fabricated announcements, claiming that there were vacancies for a variety of positions at the Arab Potash Company. The announcements requested website users to provide personal information for suspicious reasons. The administration of the company denied the authenticity of these announcements, clarifying that the company is not involved  with the recent job announcements.

The Social Security Corporation (SSC) also issued a warning about fake links shared on social media platforms and accounts. These links invited social security users to enter their personal information to secure money from the corporation. The SSC confirmed that all information of this nature will be shared only through their official website.

Political Rumors

Among the political rumors spread during June was one shared by regional Arab news sources, about the presence of a burned Jordanian armored military vehicle in the Libyan city of Tarhuna. This was denied by official agencies that clarified these claims are baseless allegations and that Jordan abides by the UN arms embargo on Libya.

Several rumors in June pertained to a number of political figures. All of them focused on accusations of tax evasion and corruption, and on the allegation that the Jordanian Integrity and Anti-Corruption Committee raided the house of a former Prime Minister. This prompted these figures to deny the rumors through their private social media accounts and via local media outlets.

Social rumors

Among the rumors that spread in June was one claiming that the government was prosecuting a six-year-old child for tax evasion. The rumor involved a judicial announcement that was published in a daily newspaper, allegedly demanding that the child appears before a judge. The government denied this, and clarified that the prosecution relates to a company that was founded six years ago, and the judicial announcement that was shared refers to the company’s age, rather than the age of its owner.

Local news sources also published information about 44 incidents of juveniles being detained for violating defense orders, a rumor that was denied by the official spokesperson for the Judicial Council, Judge Ali al-Masri, who confirmed that the statistical data for all of the courts indicates that nobody is being detained in juvenile detention centers for this reason.

Security rumors

Security authorities denied a number of rumors in June, with some of the most prominent of those rumors pertaining to the curfew. Several local news outlets misunderstood a statement by the Head of COVID-19 Crisis Management Group Operations, Brig. Gen. Mazen Faraya, that “there is no comprehensive curfew on Friday, June 5th.” Faraya clarified to media outlets that mobility is permitted on that day solely for the hours of Friday prayers, and only for those going to mosques on foot.

One of the rumors that security services have also denied was connected to crimes and assaults, and was shared by activists on social media. The rumor claimed that a murder had taken place in Irbid, in which a young man and a woman were killed. Security authorities denied this rumor, stating that the Public Security Directorate received no information about the occurrence of that crime.