By Hani Hazaimeh

AMMAN - The Jordan Press Association (JPA) will take over the training centre of the abolished Higher Media Council, JPA President Abdul Wahab Zgheilat said on Thursday.

Zgheilat told The Jordan Times in an interview that the association has reached an agreement with the government in this regard.

The Lower House on November 2 endorsed a draft law annulling the Higher Media Council Law, in line with the government’s strategy to develop the media sector and minimise the number of institutions and councils governing this sector.

The Senate on Thursday endorsed the abolishment of the council which was established in 2001 to regulate the sector.

"The JPA will be administratively in charge of the centre and its staff. The facility can assist the association in implementing its plans to train journalists on best practices of the profession," he said.

The JPA president added the step comes in the context of support the association has received from His Majesty King Abdullah, who in July announced an initiative to establish a fund for the purpose of training and supporting journalists under the jurisdiction of the syndicate.

Zgheilat also announced that the JPA is preparing to hold a brainstorming workshop in the coming few weeks for chief editors of dailies, weeklies, news websites and audiovisual outlets.

The symposium is meant as a platform to mainly exchange views on the JPA bylaw and other legislation governing the profession with the aim of amending them to safeguard press freedoms.

"The amendments to the JPA bylaw will aim at expanding the association’s membership base to include journalists working in electronic media and the audiovisual outlets," he revealed.

Moreover, Zgheilat said the association will work to avoid the enactment of any legislation that limits the freedom of news websites, now numbering 32.

"These websites have actually contributed to raising the level of press freedom in the Kingdom; however, it is necessary that they do their work in a professional manner, away from character assassination and any damage to the community," Zgheilat said, stressing that the JPA will make sure that these values, which are entailed in the JPA code of ethics, are observed by all outlets.

On Tuesday, the JPA council met chief editors of dailies. Participants in the meeting called for the establishment of a special press court. Currently, a specialised judge looks into press and publications cases but the association leader said, “this is not enough”.

The participants also reviewed ways to streamline the media sector “in line with King Abdullah's directives and assurances that there will be no detention of journalists for charges related to their profession".

At a meeting earlier this month with chief editors of country’s dailies, the King reiterated journalists’ right to express their opinion with impunity.