Work culture and values in media companies in the Arab Region: the case of Jordan and Lebanon
| Autor | Hamoud Almahmoud, Rafael Cejudo |
| Cargo del Autor | Universidad de Córdoba |
| Páginas | 39-59 |
Hamoud Almahmoud
Rafael Cejudo
Universidad de Córdoba
Abstract
We use a qualitative approach for the content analysis of the existing journalism codes of ethics of two
Arab countr ies (Jordan and Lebanon). The research seeks to forge a better understanding of work
values of media companies in the Arab region, particularly in Jordan and Lebanon that have quite
unequal ranks in press freedom and tra nsparency, as well as different cultural and political systems.
Specifically, both the Code of Ethics of the Jordanian Press Association (JPA) and the Code of Ethics
and Journalists’ Pact for Strengthening Civil Peace in Lebanon are assessed against The Global Charter
of Ethics for Journalists issued by the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ). Our results suggest
that both countries score high against IFJ’s code. However, the legislation of both countries applies
constraints and values that made many of the articles of the codes of ethics not applicable in practice.
These results confirm other research proving how some politic al systems, while pretending to defend
local traditions, national culture, and sovereignty, are in reality defending authoritarianism through
their focus on patriotism or even other professional virtues.
Keywords: journalistic co des of ethics, work values, journalism in the Arab region, press
freedom, Jordan, Lebanon.
1. INTRODUCTION
To identify th e characteristics of work values in the Arab countries through the perspective
of journalism code s of ethics, we must introduce the context where journalism is being practiced in
this region, studying the legal bases and ethical codes affecting this profession. Firstly, the freedom of
speech i n the Arab region is at the lowest level worldwide, and journalism is the profession to be
threatened the most by this particular want of freedom. International watchdogs such as Reporters
Without Borders (RSF hereinafter) have even stated that there is no free press in most Arab countries
(RSF, 2020). Similarly, UNESCO has declared that the Arab region has been the most unsafe for
journalists globally (UNESCO, 2018). Furthermore, Freedom House (a U. S. watchdog for press
freedom) considers Arab countries as “not free,” except Lebanon, Kuwait, and Morocco, which are
considered “partially free”. Tunisia would be the only “free” country (Freedom House, 2020). This
context of freedom shortage in the region is reflected in the practice of journalism and its standards.
Accordingly, Lewis & Nashmi have identified four types of barriers facing Arab journalists: two
structural ones, which are insufficient data access and social/political expectations, plus two
individualistic barriers that are ignorance and resistance (Lewis & Nashmi, 2019, p. 1). Nonetheless,
this restrictive environment has given rise to specific virtues in the perceived standards of excellence
for Arab journalists. Patriotism would be the most prominent case since this value is considered a
virtue by many Arab journalists, not as a breach of professional ethics, even if such patriotism might
stifle criticism of the current political order and reduce press freedom (Al-Najjar, 2011).
Admittedly, in Arab countries, journalists are aware of their low profile as agenda setters. In
the cultural context of the Arab/Muslim society, rulers are frequently considered the unquestionable
vanguards of society on whose hands the political and social fate of the people is put (Ngwainmbi,
2019). Thus, Arab journalists work in professional environments where the ethical foundations are
scattered between universal codes, local standards imposed by the political regimes, and Islamic
cultural boundaries. Furthermore, Arab states seem to follow different references in formulating their
codes of ethics in media and journalism, so that practices prohibited in some countries are allowed in
others, which generates confusion among professionals working in international news agencies
(Drumwright & Kamal, 2016). Nevertheless, the Islamic worldview could offer a modern ethical model
Work Culture and Values in Med ia Companies
40!
for journalism that both protect pluralism in a multi-cultural society and prevents unrestricted
relativism.
A variety of factors has influenced the professional Arab ethical system. On the one hand,
there are the normative forces of religion and philosophy, but also other drivers related to historical
cultural exchanges, influencing the “Arab ethical mindset” more recently. Finally, the third sort of
influence is given by economic pressures, colonial influences, and political experiences for the last two
centuries (Sidani, 2018). Because of these multiple sources of the Arab ethical mindset, journalists have
been scattered between theories, but also this plurality could have prompted them to forge their own
codes of ethics (Hamada, 2016). Based on this analysis, it might be possible to detect the beginning of
an Arab model of work values that would be a better alternative than just importing western values as
they are often perceived as foreign. We shall defend that Arab journalism codes of ethics might reveal
a sphere of growing universalizat ion throughout the last decades despite political problems and
existing differences between Western and Middle Eastern/Islamic societal norms (Hafez, 2002).
This paper aims at analyzing the content of the codes of ethics of journalism/media outlets in
two Arab countries, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and Lebanon, as they represent two different
environments for press freedom and work values. According to Freedom House, Lebanon is a
“partially free” country, while Jordan has moved from being partially free in 2019 to the level of not
free in 2020. However, in 2020, the Corruption Perception Index ranked Jordan in 60 out of 180
countries while Lebanon is low at 149 out of 180 countries (Transparency International, 2020). In
journalism, the practice is ruled by codes of ethics as well as by laws and regulations. The content of
these codes will be analyzed considering the influence of the legal environment and they shall be
assessed in terms of their adequacy to international standards. In this way, we intend to cast light on
the concepts and values affecting the codes. Our analysis shows remarkable differences between what
is proclaimed in the codes and what is implemented and enforced. Thus, the high matching of the
codes regarding international standards might not be translated into an appropriate professional
practice. On the other hand, specifications and values added to the codes by the laws, or even by the
journalism associations, could handicap the professional practice under the pretext of cultural
differences. That would be an example of how some authorities, while pretending to defend local
traditions, national culture, and sovereignty, are really defending the authoritarian clinging to power
of a local elite, the repression of the opposition, and their own reaction to modernization and change
(Savater, 1986; Herrscher, 2002).
The paper is structured in six sections. In section two, the legal and political environment of
the Arab countries in the Middle East region is reviewed, stressing the barriers to the implementation
of professional codes and values at work. The methodology to analyze and assess the journalistic codes
of Lebanon and Jordan is explained in a brief section three. Sections four and five are devoted to an
in-depth analysis of these codes. Our results are summarized in tables 1 and 2 (in the appendix).
Section six concludes.
2. CONTEXT OF ARAB JOURNALISM CODES OF ETHICS
In the Arab countries of the Middle East region, professional standards and norms are still
evolving with a seeming clash between traditional Western journalistic mores and other realities,
including societal, political, economic, and cultural (Stroud, 2019). The same clash appears when
applying ethical journalism norms to individual countries of the Arab states. In Iraq, for example,
norms are still evolving after more than a decade of removing the dictatorship from this country with
a seeming clash between traditional Western journalistic mores and other political, societal, economic,
and cultural realities (Relly, 2015). In the case of Lebanon, despite the country’s rank as partially free
according to the previously mentioned Freedom House report. Most journalism students believe that
the corrupt system in Lebanon makes journalists resort to unethical practices, which in turn
compromise journalists’ credibility and integrity. Students consider that journalists have power as the
so-called fourth estate, yet, that power seems minimal when journalists lack the freedom to write facts
without fear from editors and/or gatekeepers’ political views, economic pressure, and on-the-job
demands, placing journalistic integrity at stake (Bou Zeid, 2019). Trying to delve deep into the roots
that have formulated the ethical and practical codes of Arab journalists, Ngwainmbi (2019) has
surveyed journalists from Sudan and Qatar. He found that the respondents have reported higher
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