Media Accountability in Authoritarian and Transitional Systems The Cases of Jordan and Tunisia By Judith Pies Session 13 Photo: imago/ecomedia/robert fishman

Session 13 – Authoritarian & Transitional Systems July Features of Journalism in (Soft) Authoritarian Regimes  Limited press freedom  Limited access to information  Regime-controlled access to profession  Direct and indirect censorship  Regime-controlled journalism education  Economic requirements limit regime-critical media outlets photo: unesco.org.uk

Session 13 – Authoritarian & Transitional Systems July Regime Dominance in Holding the Media to Acocunt Political accountability ( strong) Market accountability (controlled by regime) Public accountability (growing) Professional accountability (weak) Media Modes of media accountability Source: Adapted from Bardoel/D‘Haenens 2004

Session 13 – Authoritarian & Transitional Systems July The Case of Jordan Limited media liberalization since the martial law has been lifted in 1989 Opening of the print media sector for private ownership (only since 2007 licencing as companies has been possible) Partly opening of the broad- casting sector for private ownership (still strict govern- mental licensing controll, partly censored) Opening the journalists association for ALL journalists (not only print media and state broadcasters) Acces to Information Law (not yet fully implemented) Source: Adapted from Pies/Nedjaa 2013

Session 13 – Authoritarian & Transitional Systems July Status Quo of Self-Regulation in Jordan Under the patronage of the regime HMC Freedoms Commitee JPA Disciplinary Council Symbols of how ‚self- regulation‘ functions in authoritarian regimes  The Higher Media Council (HMC) was meant to replace the Ministry of Information in 2001 and to support „professional journalism“.  The HMC Freedoms Commitee was established to moderate between media organisations and people complaining about them.  Members were appointed by the king.  Media organisations had to agree on discussing complaints The HMC and the Commitee failed  The Jordan Press Assoication (JPA) has been instrumentalized by the regime since  The Disciplinary Council is meant to moderate complaints against the press.  Members are appointed by the JPA steering committee.  Decisions are legally binding.  Convictions can lead to a ban from the profession. The number of disciplinary councils is growing Photo: Judith Pies

Session 13 – Authoritarian & Transitional Systems July Status Quo of Self-Regulation in Jordan Codes of Ethics The code of ethics by the Jordanian Press Association (JPA) was part of a deal between government and JPA to prevent further tightening of the press law in The deal included that parts of the code had to integrated in the press law. Professional Level Organisational Level Since 2007 the number of codes of ethics on the organizational level has been growing. Outlets having a code of ethics are for example Ammonnews website, Al-Ghad newspaper, Petra news agency. Screenshot: jpa.jo Screenshot: alghad.com Screenshot: ammonnews.net

Session 13 – Authoritarian & Transitional Systems July Perception of Self-Regulation by Jordanian Journalists Results from the MediaAcT-Survey (2012) 1.Support for sanctions 2.Scepticism towards formal institutions of regulation e.g. press councils 3.Strong support for responsible media % %

Session 13 – Authoritarian & Transitional Systems July Media Accountability by Online Media Organisations Results from a content analysis (Pies/Madanat 2011) Table 7: Actor transparency in Jordanian online newspapers and news websites Actor Transparency partly applied Production Transparency partly applied Responsive practices widely applied PracticeOnline newspapers & news websites (n=12) Published mission statement7 Published code of ethics1 Profiles of journalists2 Public information on company ownership8 Actor transparency in Jordanian online newspapers and news websites PracticeOnline newspapers & news websites (n=12) Authorship stated for each story7 Precise reference8 Links to sources in stories0 Journalists’ blogs discussing production0 Production transparency in Jordanian online newspapers and news websites PracticeOnline newspapers & news websites (n=12) Collaborative story writing with citizens7 Comments in news11 Polls9 Twitter and/or Facebook account9 Responsive Practices in Jordanian online newspapers and news websites Source: Pies/Madanat 2011: 17 Source: Pies/Madanat 2011: 21 Source: Pies/Madanat 2011: 22

Session 13 – Authoritarian & Transitional Systems July Media Accountability Initiatives by Citizens Jordanian examples Sahafi.jo website AmmanNet listeners‘ club 7iber.com citizens‘ platform Aim Collecting, editing and archiving coverage of media and journalism news in Jordan and the Arab World Aim Improving radio news coverage, adjusting the news agenda to local needs, supporting news gathering. Aim Holding the media to account for what they don‘t cover. Improving media literacy, monitoring media coverage. Screenshot: Screenshot: Screenshot:

Session 13 – Authoritarian & Transitional Systems July Public Accountability: A Counter-Balance to the Regime Results from the MediaAcT Survey (2012) Jordanian journalists strongly support MA mechanisms by the audience

Session 13 – Authoritarian & Transitional Systems July Features of Journalism in Transitional Systems Photo: Nasser Nouri/flickr.com  Unclear boundaries of press freedom  Growing access to information  Competition between old and new journalistic actors (e.g. media outlets, journalists organisation)  Boom in new media  Fierce economic situation  Redefinition of relations to the field of power

Session 13 – Authoritarian & Transitional Systems July Re-Defining Modes of Holding the Media to Acocunt Political accountability ( still strong but fading away) Market accountability (growing) Public accountability (growing) Professional accountability (under discussion) Media Modes of media accountability Source: Adapted from Bardoel/D‘Haenens 2004

Session 13 – Authoritarian & Transitional Systems July 2013 Session 13 - Introduction 13 The Case of Tunisia Fast media liberalization since the revolution in January 2011 Abolishing the Minis- try of Information and free- zing the main censor institutions (ATCE & ATI) Revisions of a new press and media law Creation of a national body for information and com- munication reform (INRIC) Passing a law for access to information Drafting regulations for an audiovisual regulatory body (HAICA) 2011 Licensing of 12 new radio and 5 new television stations Source: Adapted from Pies/Nedjaa 2013

Session 13 – Authoritarian & Transitional Systems July Status Quo of Self-Regulation in Tunisia All under discussion in 2013 Codes of Ethics  Tunisian Journalists Association (SNJT) has revised its code of ethics  Several other codes are under discussion Press council / Media council  A law for establishing a media council has been drafted – conditions and terms are still under discussion Ombudsmen  Still don‘t exist but have been debated Media journalism  Still weak but growing in importance particularly on issues of press freedom

Session 13 – Authoritarian & Transitional Systems July Perception of Self-Regulation by Tunisian Journalists Results from the MediaAcT-Survey (2012) 1.Split about sanctions 2.Scepticism towards formal institutions for regulation e.g. press councils 3.Strong support for responsible media % %

Session 13 – Authoritarian & Transitional Systems July Nawaat.org bloggers‘ platform Arab Working Group for Media Monitoring Media Accountability Initiatives by Citizens Tunisian examples Aim Adjusting the news agenda to the „real“ needs of society. Collaborative work by journalists and bloggers. Aim Monitoring of media coverage to evaluate fair and balanced reporting. Supporting free and fair elections. Screenshot: Screenshot:

Session 13 – Authoritarian & Transitional Systems July Tunisian journalists support MA mechanisms by the audience Public Accountability: A Growing Accountability Mechanism Results from the MediaAcT Survey (2012)

Session 13 – Authoritarian & Transitional Systems July Tunisia and Jordan: Common Features Public accountability plays an important role  to counterbalance MA from the field of power  To redefine the profession vis à vis societal needs Transparency is still lacking  Due to insecure political situation  Due to fear of looking unprofessional Formal institutions of MA are ambivalent  For fear of political hijacking  For loosing control over professional rules Alternative agenda setting and watching the media from outside media organisations is important

Session 13 – Authoritarian & Transitional Systems July References Ferjani, R. 2011a. Transparency is the Order of the Day. Interview on Qantara.de, Order-of-the-Day/16972c17424i1p77/index.htmlhttp://en.qantara.de/Transparency-Is-the- Order-of-the-Day/16972c17424i1p77/index.html Ferjani, R. 2011b. All the sides of censorship: Online media accountability practices in pre-revolutionary Tunisia, Ferjani, R. 2011b. Tunisia. The Clash of Texts and Contexts. In: Mapping Media Accountability – in Europe and Beyond, edited by Eberwein T. et al., Köln: von Halem Verlag. Hawatmeh, G. and J. Pies Media Accountability under the Patronage of the Regime – The Case of Jordan. In: Mapping Media Accountability – in Europe and Beyond, edited by Eberwein T. et al., Köln: von Halem Verlag. Pies, J Media accountability in transition: Results from Jordan and Tunisia. In: Journalists and Media Accountability. An International Study of News People in the Digital Age, edited by Fengler, S. et al. (Hg.) New York et al. Peter Lang. Pies, J. and A. Nedjaa Media Landscapes in Transition: Jordan and Tunisia. In: How fragile is media credibility? Research Magazine MediaAcT, Pies, J. and P. Madanat Beyond State Regulation: How Online Practices Contribute to Holding the Media Accountable in Jordan. In: MediaAcT Working Paper Series, 5/2011,