Amman, Feb. 22 (Petra) - Recently, there has been an increase in the public presentation of children and people with disabilities on television and social media to solicit money, disregarding their privacy and dignity. This presentation pattern, even when dressed in a humanitarian guise, poses fundamental problems regarding the boundaries of ethical and legal duty.

Therefore, the Media Commission on Sunday issued a circular to all visual, audio, and print media outlets prohibiting the publication of any programs or media materials that include fundraising or emotional solicitation for humanitarian cases or the exploitation of children and persons with disabilities. The move came at the request of the Ministry of Social Development and at the behest of the President of the Higher Council for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (HCD), His Royal Highness Prince Mired bin Raad bin Zeid, to protect the rights of persons with disabilities.

The circular stipulates obtaining prior written approval from the Ministry of Social Development before broadcasting any advertisement, program or media material related to donations, in accordance with the provisions of Jordanian laws relating to the rights of persons with disabilities, children, cybercrimes and the Penal Code.

In this regard, the Jordan News Agency (Petra) highlighted the phenomenon, as specialists unanimously stressed the need to adhere to rights-based coverage that safeguards dignity and privacy and prevents emotional solicitation or the use of disability for promotional or material purposes.

HCD spokesperson Rafat Al-Zetawi, told Petra that the council had monitored several negative media practices carried out by some activists and media professionals through social media sites and satellite channels. The most prominent included the publication of misleading information and the promotion of false data lacking professionalism and objectivity, in addition to filming persons with disabilities and their families in "pre-prepared" or "fabricated and selective" situations to speak about the difficulties of inclusion, and the re-raising of old cases that had been institutionally and legally addressed years ago, such as the case of transferring teachers from the Royal Academy for the Blind. Disability was also used in media materials as a pretext for inaction or "disguised unemployment" and to stir public opinion without justification.

Al-Zetawi said these practices lead to violating the right of persons with disabilities to community inclusion, independent living and inclusive education; to raising fears among families and persons with disabilities about alternatives to institutional care and the inclusive education system; and to casting doubt on ongoing national efforts and the national direction to replace institutional care systems with inclusive community-based services, in addition to contravening the National Strategy for Inclusive Education and applicable laws.

He explained that through its official correspondence, the council seeks to promote the following standards in rights-based media coverage of disability issues: adherence to accuracy and objectivity; refraining from publishing or broadcasting information and reports that mislead public opinion regarding inclusion issues and alternatives to institutional care; respect for privacy and dignity; prohibiting the filming of persons with disabilities in fabricated or selective situations aimed at raising doubts about the inclusion system; and upholding the rule of law by not allowing disability to be used as a pretext for inaction or circumventing the law and ensuring that media coverage is consistent with national rights-based orientations.

Al-Zetawi noted that the council had called on relevant bodies to circulate the need for media outlets to adhere to these standards to ensure the protection of the rights of persons with disabilities.

For his part, Professor of Law at the Jordan Media Institute, Sakher Al-Khasawneh, said the difference between humanitarian coverage and media exploitation lies in safeguarding dignity. He explained that the professional journalist addresses the issue as a "human right" and aims to bring about change, focuses on the roots of the problem, and portrays the child or families in a dignified and strong manner, while strictly committing to obtaining the necessary approvals and protecting identity to avoid future stigmatization.

He added that media exploitation, by contrast, turns suffering into "material for consumption" aimed at attracting readers or generating engagement with published content, without regard to the humanitarian and ethical values of families or children. This type of content deliberately solicits emotions through scenes of breakdown and emotional blackmail to increase interaction, making filming a "price" in exchange for aid, in clear violation of ethical and legal standards that place the child’s interest above any journalistic scoop.

Al-Khasawneh stressed the need to differentiate between "news" and "privacy," noting that legislation protects the journalist’s right to publish figures and facts related to poverty or crises but criminalizes publishing identity data or close-up images of children’s faces and beneficiaries without extreme necessity, considering this a violation of private life rather than legitimate journalistic work.

He said the center of gravity in a news story focuses on "suffering and the issue," where the protagonist is the reality that needs change, while publicity focuses on the "savior and the institution," where the protagonist is the association’s slogan or the official distributing aid, while the child is used as a "background" to highlight the achievements of the donor entity.

Al-Khasawneh explained that the first principle underpinning journalistic coverage of vulnerable groups is humanity before the scoop, which requires a commitment not to cause harm to any person who is the subject of a journalistic piece, obtaining the consent of these groups, with such consent issued with full awareness and understanding, in addition to avoiding stereotyping their images and protecting their privacy.

Regarding legislation criminalizing harmful content against these groups, Al-Khasawneh pointed out that the Cybercrime Law meets the need by criminalizing violations of privacy, defamation offenses, and the taking and republishing of photographs in a manner that harms others. He stressed that the law alone is not always the most effective tool to curb such practices, but that enhancing awareness, education and training on best practices in journalistic coverage of vulnerable groups is required.

He noted that legislation is based on the principle of "balanced regulation" between freedom of publication and achieving the interest sought by the legislator, stressing that when covering news concerning children, the best interests of the child must be taken into account, as their right to protection prevails over the public’s right to know.

Al-Khasawneh referred to a number of laws that address such practices and protect rights, especially of children and persons with disabilities, including Articles 8 and 12 of the Child Rights Law, Article 348 of the Penal Code, and Article 20 of the Cybercrime Law.

For her part, Professor of Educational Psychology and specialist in disability affairs, Israa Abu Al-Kishk, said that exploiting children or persons with disabilities in media materials for the purpose of emotional solicitation reinforces a stereotype based on pity and incapacity rather than rights and abilities. She explained that the psychological impact may include entrenching a concept of negative identity and feelings of inferiority, increasing social anxiety, shame and feelings of stigma, in addition to weakening self-esteem, especially among children in stages of psychological formation.

Abu Al-Kishk said these practices also have social effects, as they contribute to entrenching a culture of charity instead of a culture of rights and reproduce a paternalistic view that marginalizes persons with disabilities instead of empowering them.

She said among the most important recommendations for the media to ensure respect for dignity and rights are adopting a rights-based discourse grounded in international conventions, foremost among them the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities; involving persons with disabilities in producing media content; focusing on stories of empowerment and achievement instead of soliciting pity; adhering to professional codes of conduct; and training media professionals on concepts of inclusion and ethical communication.

//Petra// AF

22/02/2026 21:08:49