Press freedom watchdog releases annual report

The Centre for Defending Freedom of Journalists (CDFJ) onSaturday released its 2013 report to mark the World Press Freedom Day.The report, brought out every year by the CDFJ for 12 years now, tackles the state ofpress legislation, noting a “clear decline in systematic violations seen during ArabSpring revolts and protests that swept the Arab world.”However, it recorded a high of 91.3 per cent in instances of media self-censorship,particularly regarding news commentaries, due to restrictions introduced by thenew Press and Publications Law. However, it also pointed to a dramatic decline incases of ban on news coverage, detention of journalists and trials before the statesecurity court along with an increase in cases where those affected chose to resortto the law.The report was based on a study the CDFJ had conducted to explore the content andforms of bigoted speech, sectarian incitement and discrimination in the Arab Springmedia. It was also aimed to gauge whether those standards met world-class criteriaor the media had been involved in the political and sectarian conflicts in ArabSpring countries.The report also showed that journalists had, by a large extent, steered away fromcriticising the armed forces and security agencies, the judiciary and leaders ofJordanian tribes as well as dealing with highly-emotive religious matters.Established in 1998 as a non-governmental organisation, the CDFJ seeks to defendJordanian and Arab journalists and their freedom and rights and develop the Arabmedia sector.