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10 Dec 2014
Under the patronage of Her Royal Highness Princess Rym Ali, the Jordan Media Institute (JMI) in cooperation with the Norwegian Institute of Journalism organized the conference titled "Syrian Refugees in Jordan: The Question of Society and Media" during the period 8 to 10 December 2014 at the Dead Sea. The conference discussed 51 research and working papers dealing with 8 major topics.<br />
The conference aimed at establishing a database about the situation of Syrian refugees particularly in Jordan and in neighboring countries in general, and making these available to the media, to researchers and decision makers. It also aimed at providing institutions concerned with this issue with an opportunity to build a network of relations with the media, allowing for a better and more objective understanding of refugee living conditions, as well as the challenges that host communities face.<br />
Research papers presented throughout the conference tacked many aspects related to Syrian refugees including their demographic composition, education, health and professional status, as well as their housing inside and outside the camps. They also presented the experience and efforts of several local and international relief organizations working on this issue.<br />
On the media side, the conference examined media discourse regarding the refugee crisis, and evaluated its coverage of it. It also touched on the challenges that the media faces in accessing information about refugees.<br />
In parallel to the conference, JMI organized a workshop titled "Voices from the Camps" aimed at establishing discussion sessions with a group of opinion leaders from Syrian refugee camps. In another workshop, 20 Jordanian and Syrian journalists received training on acquiring the special skills needed to cover refugee issues from the perspective of human rights. This latter workshop was organized by JMI in collaboration with Reporters Without Borders –Sweden.<br />
With reference to the research and working papers presented during the conference and the discussions that ensued, the Scientific Committee of the conference underlined the following conclusions:<br />
First, the Syrian refugee crisis is primarily a humanitarian one, and is a result of the conflict in Syria with its internal, regional and international dimensions. It should, therefore, be dealt with from both a humanitarian and a political perspective. <br />
Second, the persistence of the crisis now approaching its fifth years at a time when new regional and international conflicts are emerging underlines the importance of keeping this issue center stage in the public and media interest, and to take care not to normalize it.<br />
Third, Jordan (its government and people) has presented one of the best examples in dealing with the Syrian refugee crisis whether in what concerns official, security and relief management, or the response the Jordanian society had to it at a time when the international community's support to the Kingdom in fulfilling its humanitarian role towards the Syrian refugees remains modest, and less than the country's needs and expectations. This requires more political clarity on the part of Jordan in considering its national interests, while remaining committed to the rights of refugees, and those of their host communities.<br />
Fourth, the international community’s humble response coupled with some UN and international organizations’ threat to abandon a part of their relief tasks in addition to linking the amount of aid extended to host countries with political goals will lead to catastrophic consequences on the refugees and the host communities.<br />
Fifth, despite the many negative repercussions and consequences of the Syrian refugees’ asylum on local communities in Jordan, the presence of a Syrian population in the Kingdom has created some economic and developmental opportunities, calling for more awareness on how to benefit from the experience of some neighboring countries in this area.<br />
In what concerns the media, the conference reached the following conclusions:<br />
First, the Jordanian media followed up on and covered refugee affairs, and the refugee crisis was prominent in the Jordanian media. The conference noted that the Jordanian media did not commit major ethical violations while covering the crisis, and did not engage in hate speech against the refugees.<br />
Second, the continuation of the Syrian crisis and the worsening of its consequences, as well as the long duration of the Syrian asylum together with the weak response of the international community have lead to increased complaints from local communities against the negative economic and social repercussions of this crisis, which added a huge pressure on the Kingdom's limited resources. As such, the media is required to shoulder its professional and ethical responsibilities and prevent such complaints from turning into hate speech by finding a balance between human rights and the host communities' rights.<br />
Third, the conference reached the following conclusions in terms of the professional and ethical aspects related to covering refugee affairs:
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<li dir="LTR">Refugee journalism needs to move from covering occasions and daily events towards an in-depth journalism based on a balance between the rights of refugees and those of host communities. In this context, the conference noted the absence of investigative journalism in refugee issues.</li>
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<li dir="LTR">The weak presence of local communities in media content, which is instead dominated by official authorities and relief organizations. This means that the host communities’ and refugees’ points of view are not presented in the media, calling attention to the need for creating a balance in the content of media coverage.</li>
<li dir="LTR">The conference noted some weakness in the media's knowledge of legal aspects while covering refugee affairs. This requires boosting the legal knowledge of media professionals.</li>
<li dir="LTR">The media carried out its role in briefing the public on any developments in the refugees’ situation. However, it failed to manage in-depth dialogues about the crisis in the Jordanian context, whether between the government and society, or between host communities and refugees.</li>
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The Jordan Media Institute highly appreciates the valuable participation of the Institute's colleagues and friends in this scientific forum, and extends <em>its</em> sincere gratitude to everyone, and to the Institute's partners led by the Norwegian Institute of Journalism, Reporters Without Borders - Sweden and the Swedish Postcode Lottery.<br />
The Institute reiterates its commitment to defend media independence, freedom of expression, as well as the Jordanian society's right to access information.