AMMAN — Over a dozen Jordanian
freelance journalists recently had the opportunity to engage with funding
organizations interested in supporting independent media during an event
organized by the EU-funded project “Sahafa Med” at the Community Media Network
offices in Amman.
اضافة اعلان
According to a press statement shared with Jordan
News on Thursday, Daoud Kuttab, the director-general of the Community Media
Network, encouraged event participants to speak out about their challenges and
find ways to work together in order to protect each other and ensure that their
hard work is safeguarded.
“There is a lack of respect for
intellectual property and the work of freelance journalists, and therefore it is
important that you organize yourselves for protection and advancement,” Kuttab encouraged
participants.
Rawan Jayousi, founder and director of
Madraj for Digital Media Entrepreneurship, a support organization and
co-organizer of the event, spoke about the need to support independent
journalists and help them find work opportunities.
“Freelance journalists should be able to
have opportunities to set up their own digital platforms and media startups, as
well as opportunities for networking with others in order to be able to protect
themselves,” Jayousi stated.
Challenges in the fieldParticipants discussed financial and
work-related difficulties faced in the field, while some journalists spoke
about the problem of media outlets not respecting their intellectual property
rights, and the issue of delayed payments for commissioned journalistic work.
“Freelance journalists should be able to have opportunities to set up their own digital platforms and media startups, as well as opportunities for networking with others in order to be able to protect themselves”
Some noted that the types of articles which
offer a paid commission usually have an element of controversy, posing a
challenge for writers, while others complained that the agendas of funding
bodies often conflict with the interests of local communities and journalists.
Participants also noted that, because they
are not members of the Jordan Press Association, they often face difficulties securing
interviews with officials or gaining access to locations for news coverage.
Meeting outcomesFunding organizations represented at the
event, including the Open Society Foundation, the CFI, UNESCO, Internews, the
European Endowment for Democracy, and the European Union said that they learned
a great deal from the three-hour meeting, and that they will endeavor to better
tailor their programs for freelance journalists.
The attendees agreed to set up a media
forum that will help freelance journalists better organize themselves and
obtain press cards from the International Federation of Journalists.
Fostering independent journalismSahafa Med is a project implemented by the
French association Journalisme & Citoyenneté (Journalism and Citizenship),
which focuses on fostering independent journalism in the southern Mediterranean
area. Sahafa Med is funded by the European Union.
According to journalist and Sahafa Med
correspondent Cristina L’Homme, the project organizes different types of
activities: national meetings gathering journalists, media development actors,
and donors, and the Assises (Symposium) of Journalism in Tunis, Tours, and
Brussels.
Read more National news
Jordan News
.jpg)
.jpg)
