Al-Momani: Specialized and Credible Scientific Media is the First Line of Defense Against Misinformation - Jordan News

Jordan News

04-05-2025

Minister of Government Communications and Government Spokesperson Dr. Mohammad Al-Momani emphasized that specialized, credible scientific media is the first line of defense against fake and misleading information. He stated that when scientific understanding tools and communication channels with research centers are available, media becomes more capable of creating an advanced community awareness. اضافة اعلان During his speech at the second scientific conference titled "Scientific Journalism: Between Reality and Leading Change," organized by the Faculty of Media at the Middle East University, Al-Momani pointed out that despite the transformative effects of artificial intelligence on the media landscape and the tools it offers for content development, it poses precise challenges regarding content reliability, publishing standards, and adherence to journalistic ethics and codes of conduct. Al-Momani stressed that His Majesty King Abdullah II's significant focus on the comprehensive modernization vision, with its three pillars—political, economic, and administrative—requires enhancing the efforts of all sectors, especially the media, to keep up with the demands of the digital transformation era. The minister explained that the conference represents an important milestone in the development of media, as it plays a crucial role in knowledge production, analysis, and dissemination to the community in a scientific and responsible manner. It also opens the door for serious discussions on the roles of media in an era where scientific and technological transformations are accelerating. He added that the importance of specialized scientific journalism increases in the face of sectoral challenges such as health, environmental, and economic issues. Today, specialized and trained journalists are expected to understand, analyze, and explain rather than simply convey information. He called for the establishment of training platforms that enable students to engage with digital tools consciously and skillfully and to enhance partnerships between journalists, researchers, and technology specialists. Al-Momani also affirmed the Ministry of Government Communication's interest in the outcomes and recommendations of the conference, which aim to support an environment of media transparency, credibility, and specialization in line with the country's modernization and development vision. Dr. Salameh Al-Mohadin, President of Middle East University, noted that the conference this year focuses on addressing the key challenges faced by scientific journalism, building on the success of the first conference last year, which addressed topics such as obesity in the media and shaping public awareness around climate change. She highlighted the lack of specialization and scientific knowledge among some journalists, which leads to oversimplification or distortion of scientific information, and the absence of specialized training programs in scientific journalism in many Arab media institutions. She also pointed out the scarcity of local scientific content, with scientific journalism often relying on foreign sources, alongside the lack of published and accessible local scientific research in Arabic. Al-Mohadin added that scientific journalism is often not prioritized in many Arab media outlets and is sometimes constrained by political or religious factors, leading to the omission or restriction of coverage on sensitive topics such as reproductive health or genetic research. The lack of general scientific culture also affects the public's engagement with scientific journalism, reducing the demand for such content.
Dr. Ramzi Abu-Hassira, Dean of the Faculty of Media at Middle East University, explained that this conference follows up on the recommendations from the first scientific journalism conference and continues the academic and research path the faculty adopted last year. It aims to establish a solid interactive dialogue platform, bringing together scholars, researchers, journalists, and specialists from Jordan, Palestine, Algeria, the UAE, Egypt, and Iraq to bridge the gap between the community and scientific knowledge producers. The conference also aims to highlight the challenges facing scientific journalism amid rapidly advancing technology and the growing role of artificial intelligence, emphasizing transparency and credibility in the dissemination of scientific knowledge. The goal is to provide methodological recommendations that contribute to improving the reality of scientific journalism both nationally and regionally.