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Ammon News - Senate President Faisal Fayez Tuesday called for a new national media strategy with a higher council or body to unify the media discourse on various domestic issues and the higher interest of the country and national stances.

"The chaos in Jordanian media, the multiple references and uncontrolled social platforms and news websites we are witnessing is unacceptable," he told a meeting of the Senate Media Steering Committee, which was attended by Senator Mohammad Momani and State Minister for Media Affairs and official government spokesman Faisal Al Shboul.

"The citizen has become a prey to distorted information that targets our national security due to the absence of a policy of openness to put the citizens up-to-date and give them true and accurate information at the right time and with the necessary speed", he said.

The Senate head called for fully supporting the national media in its various forms and types, so that it can stabilize and remain strong and up to the task in serving the country, adding: "it is unacceptable to deal with media institutions on the basis of profit and loss."

He also stressed the importance of cooperation by all parties to set controls on social media, to prevent it from becoming tools for rumour, division, incitement, character assassination, hatred and extortion, pointing to the "significant impact of such platforms on the Jordanian social fabric."

For his part, the media minister said that the Kingdom's advertising industry has been damaged and in retreat for the last 10 years, noting that about 250 media outlets are registered with the Media Commission, all competing in a limited market, adding that there is no accurate statistics of the size of the advertising market due to the multiple media outlets and social platforms.

Shboul pointed out that the national media faces fierce competition from social media regarding digital advertising, where social media has the upper hand with the value of ads paid online in hard currency without the sales tax, while ads in the local media are paid in the local currency plus the sales tax.