Amman, Aug. 19 (Petra) – Princess Rym Ali, founder of the Jordan Media Institute (JMI), stressed the importance of building a media landscape that reflects reality and is capable of countering false news spreading on social media during a meeting organized by the Accreditation and Quality Assurance Commission to discuss the future of media education amid the digital revolution, held at Middle East University (MEU).

Princess Rym underlined the need to keep pace with modern technological developments and to be proactive, especially in using artificial intelligence.

She highlighted the importance of media and journalism as a profession that sheds light on human dimensions, stressing that practitioners must possess passion for their work in order to excel and be able to convey the truth.

She also emphasized the need to focus on media literacy, particularly for school and university students, to educate them and raise their awareness of the importance of media and ways to confront false news and rumors by preparing a conscious and informed generation. She pointed to the importance of fieldwork for media students, involving them in practical programs and training them directly within media institutions.

For his part, Minister of Government Communication and government spokesperson Mohammad Momani highlighted the academic and research role of universities, research centers, and faculty in preparing future journalists and developing a national media literacy capable of meeting challenges.

He noted that the digital revolution has brought about profound shifts in the media environment, making algorithms, data, artificial intelligence in editorial work, digital fact-checking, and multimedia production all part of a journalist’s daily tasks. This, he said, requires strengthening the use of digital verification tools and combating disinformation and falsification.

Momani stressed that these developments should be viewed as an opportunity to improve media content, noting that professionalism and ethics remain the compass guiding journalism and that combining academic knowledge with professional experience enables journalists to produce reliable content that maintains public trust and enhances social engagement.

He added that preparing journalists must be based on academic curricula aligned with technological advances, alongside hands-on training in media institutions, to ensure graduates are able to adapt to changes and produce accurate and trustworthy content.

Middle East University President Salam Mahadeen said the meeting’s significance lay in addressing the latest developments in teaching media disciplines in Jordan and discussing future directions to bridge the gap between university outputs and labor market needs.

She emphasized the necessity of integrating artificial intelligence and the digital dimension into academic programs, training faculty members, providing them opportunities for self-development, and supporting students with continuous learning, since knowledge is ever evolving. She also highlighted the need to focus on skills required by the labor market.

The Accreditation and Quality Assurance Commission President Dhafer Al-Sarraireh said 53% of undergraduate programs in journalism and media faculties have been incorporated into the National Qualifications Framework, 21% of these programs have received German accreditation (FIEDA), and 27% have obtained advanced global rankings.

He pointed to several measures taken by the commission to improve outcomes of journalism and media programs, including consulting experts on curricula and labor market needs for specialized skills, benchmarking curricula against international universities, and forming a local committee of media specialists to review all programs.

Among other measures, he noted the adoption of a general framework for micro-credentials to ensure students acquire needed labor market skills during their studies; accrediting labor market experts to evaluate program capacity and contribute up to 30% of faculty members as required; forming a regional committee of experts to prepare a Jordanian ranking for programs to foster competition among universities; and approving dual studies standards to reinforce practical training and expose students to market requirements.

Al-Sarraireh said the commission has also set out a two-phase plan for the coming years: a short-term phase to be implemented before the start of the 2025/2026 academic year and a medium-term phase to be applied before the 2026/2027 academic year.

Jordan Press Association (JPA) President Tareq Momani said the relationship between the association and university media faculties is complementary, aimed at developing the profession and preparing qualified journalists, adding that the association is ready to train media students to prepare them for the labor market.

He pointed to several challenges facing journalism and academia, including the rising number of graduates and the gap between education outcomes and market demands, calling for the establishment of a joint advisory council between the association and the Higher Education Accreditation Commission to monitor the quality of journalism graduates.

For her part, Jordan Media Institute Dean Mirna Abou Zeid stressed that universities are the cradle of thought and human development and must not neglect character building alongside the development of professional and journalistic skills. She underlined the importance of linking university outputs with labor market needs.

She noted a decline in the presence of reference media outlets and said audiences must be engaged in the content presented and their needs addressed so they can be true partners in media production and help journalism fulfill its mission. She also called for raising university admission standards for media students, stressing that opinion leaders and drivers of social change should be at the forefront.

//Petra// AF

19/08/2025 21:15:44