AKEED, Aya Khawaldeh

Local media outlets published a story on the death of Sergeant Ahmad Houri, who is a member of the Border Guard, on Saturday evening, 4 February, quoting the Moral Guidance Directorate in the Armed Forces. The story did not exceed 35 words in most of the media outlets that published it. It quoted Brigadier General Oudeh Shdeifat as saying that "Houri"s death is unrelated to any military action on the border." He did not provide any further clarifications, thus giving room to social media users to provide several stories about the cause of death.

Social media users circulated pictures of the deceased on their Facebook pages, accompanied by analyses and personal opinions of the cause of death. They noted that the cause of death was that Houri committed suicide by shooting himself. Other users published news to the effect that he died while performing his duty during clashes on the border with Daesh (ISIS), while others denied this and attributed his death to an accidental gunshot wound.

The cause of death mentioned by the director of Moral Guidance in the Armed Forces, Shdeifat, was insufficient and was not followed by any further clarifications of the real cause of death. This has allowed social media sites to publish undocumented causes and information, which increased the intensity of the debate between its users. The debate focused on whether he should be given the description "martyr" or not.

Media outlets committed the mistake of not seeking clarifications and not looking for further information from its sources. A news story must be comprehensive and complete; it must not be partial or selective. It must also follow the story from beginning to end and look for elements that complement it, whether from original sources or information departments.

Professional standards pertaining to news require having the full circle of the story and answering key questions related to the incident. AKEED emphasizes that incomplete news stories leave the public with information vacuum, which creates room for the growth of alternative media that completes these circles with rumors and false information.