AKEED, Anwar Ziadat

Media outlets, including some official media, have not adhered to a circular disseminated by the Ministry of Social Development on 30 May, with the start of the month of Ramadan, in which there are many instances of charity and assistance extended to the poor. The circular warned against publishing photos of beneficiaries while extending help and handing out donations to the poor.

In its statement, the ministry said that publishing photos of acts of charity was against the Code of Ethics of Jordanian Social Work issued in 2009 and some social pieces of legislation, such as Juvenile Law No. 32 of 2014. It asked donors not to publish the photos of people who receive their donations, especially on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram since this is considered a "blatant violation of the dignity of those who receive assistance."

Despite the dissemination of the official warning in different media, it was not heeded. On 14 June, Jordan Radio and TV Channel posted a report headlined "Irbid First Awqaf Directorate Holds Iftar for Orphans," which showed explicit pictures of the orphans and the families invited to the iftar.

Usually, the administrations of official media adhere to such circulars.

Also, the Jordan University of Science and Technology (JUST), a public institution, published on its official website a story headlined "JUST Holds Iftar for Orphans of King Hussein Charitable Society in Irbid," along with a clear picture of the orphans, showing them while receiving gifts. This picture runs counter to the Social Work Code, Journalistic Work Code, and the Jordanian Juvenile Law.

News websites and daily newspapers published pictures of orphans at social events, as established by monitoring carried out by AKEED to measure the degree of commitment to the circular of the Ministry of Social Development, the Social Code of Honor, and the Press Code of Honor. The two latter codes stress the need for respecting public freedoms of others, maintaining their rights, and not violating the sanctity of their private life.

Anyone following media outlets will notice that publishing the photos of offering help to the needy is not only associated with pages on social media sites, but exceeds this to media outlets and that some people who assumed responsibility for the Ministry of Social Development previously had violated the Jordanian Code of Ethics of Social Work during their service.

Also, media outlets published pictures of public figures handing out in-kind assistance to citizens. The pictures showed the faces of the citizens; this is considered a violation of the dignity of those receiving humanitarian assistance.

While looking for these violations on news websites, there were limited cases in which pictures revealed the faces of the people receiving assistance. These pictures were mostly posted on social media sites, including Ramadan iftars and offering assistance and food packages.

Dr. Fawwaz Ratrout, press spokesman for the Ministry of Social Development, said in statements to the Jordanian Media Credibility Monitor (AKEED) that the ministry did not have any effective authority to prevent such violations, except in regard to juveniles since the Juvenile Law prevents publishing their pictures in the media. He indicated that the ministry would seek to introduce legal amendments to prevent such violations in the event of making legal amendments within the context of social work.

He added that this statement came after the ministry monitored what is published and what happens on social media sites, and also followed media outlets, including news websites and newspapers. He said that this work was not confined to individuals, but extended to some associations and societies that offer assistance.

He pointed out that many cases had been monitored of donors who take pictures of widows, old people, and poor families and publish them on their personal pages. He noted that the phenomenon of offering packages and assistance and taking pictures of them increased significantly during the month of Ramadan.

He said that this was not only a violation of codes of ethics of social work, but also violated and contradicted the ethical values that the true Islamic religion urges during this holy month.

While following the performance of media outlets, AKEED has handled examples that contained negative practices, such as "Children of Birbita Village Victims of Media Violations," and positive practices, such as "Social Media Can Lead Positive Dialogue…Story of Birbita School as Example."  It should also be noted that many news websites adhere to sound professional practices and observe the Jordanian Press Code of Honor, including "Distributing Assistance to Modest Families in Southern Shuna."

The Jordanian Media Credibility Monitor (AKEED) stresses that it is the duty of the press to reveal people"s problems and concerns in a manner that preserves their dignity and does not use their poverty, need, and sickness to disparage them. The Press and Publications Law stipulates "respect for public freedoms of others, maintaining their rights, and not violating the sanctity of their private life." This sanctity includes those who are looked after by guardians, such as children and persons with disability.

The Jordanian Press Code of Honor stipulates that "journalists shall respect the reputation of families, households, and individuals, and the confidentiality of matters pertaining to citizens. This is in accordance with international principles, the ethics of journalistic work, and effective laws in the Kingdom."  Also, Article 14 of the Code states that journalists "shall be committed to defending issues of childhood and their fundamental rights of care and protection. They shall refrain from interviewing children or taking pictures of them without the approval of their guardians or persons in charge of them."