Jordan’s media are not very independent. There are many public TV channels such as Al-Mamlaka, and the privately owned Roya TV has many viewers. There are also several state-owned, privately owned and community radio stations, as well as independent news sites such as 7iber and Aramram.

The authorities control the media by appointing their editors (including those of Jordan TV, the Petra News Agency, and the Al-Dustour and Al-Rai newspapers) and by controlling their finances. Some media are controlled by the military or the municipality, which gives them certain privileges such as the ability to cover a particular part of the country. Prosecutors often prevent the media from covering subjects of a public interest nature, such as corruption and criminal activity.

Since the media law’s revision in 2012, the authorities have stepped up their control, especially over the Internet, where hundreds of sites have been blocked. In August 2023, the king approved a bill on cybercrime that allows stricter control over online media. It encourages self-censorship by criminalising any use of the Internet to disseminate “fake news” or to commit acts of “defamation” or attacks on “reputation” and “national unity”. Journalists are often prosecuted and even convicted under an extremely vaguely worded anti-terrorism law.

The authorities can prosecute journalists and force them to pay heavy fines, while the Broadcasting Commission imposes exorbitant fees for their licences. Due to lack of financial resources, privately owned media outlets, especially those not controlled by the authorities, struggle to survive. Some choose not to criticise private sector companies and public figures in order to obtain funding.

The Jordanian population is made up of diverse community groups such as Palestinians, Christians, Druze, Circassians and Armenians, but this pluralism is poorly represented in the media. Journalists find it increasingly difficult to tackle some subjects, especially those related to women.

Journalists are subject to close surveillance by intelligence services and are required to join the state-controlled Jordanian Press Association. They are subjected to additional pressure in the form of frequent interrogations, after which they are released on the condition they do not reveal details of investigations relating to sensitive subjects.