Community Media Network Launches New Project on Jordan Valley

Community Media Network Launches New Project on Jordan Valley
الرابط المختصر

Community Media Network announced it will launch "a new program entitled 'The Sound of the Valley' which will be broadcast on Radio Al-Balad, 92.4 FM." This program aims to shed light on the Jordan Valley area and continues efforts initiated by Community Media Network  to produce a series of media reports, both written and audio, that emphasize regions that are marginalized and poverty stricken.

The program is supported by the German Government which will pay to train the citizens of the region over the course of a year and a half to  produce radio reports on issues of concern regarding the living and social conditions of the population. This program will also promote and enhance understanding of citizen journalists.

General Manager of Community Media Network, Daoud Kuttab said that the project embodies the meaning of community radio. The network previously sought to obtain a permit in order to establish a community radio program in the Jordan Valley in order to display the issues in the region, however the request was rejected. According to Kuttab, the Network's decision to increase the programs that expose the issues in the Jordan Valley will be highlighted through Radio Al-Balad.

The project's website will contain improved multimedia including audio, video, and images in order to better dissipate the information acquired. The site will also incorporate the legal rights of different social groups in the Jordan Valley area such as women, farmers, and workers in the service and tourism sector.

The project is managed by a team experienced in both broadcasting and civil society. The team is led by project manager and lawyer Zenat Al-Hariri and journalists Asma' Raja and Munira Al-Shatti.

Community Media Network previously attempted to bring attention to the issues in the Jordan Valley in 2006 when it announced its intention to establish a community radio program in the southern part of Al-Shuna in the Central Valley. The government refused to license the program and it was never launched.

The Network trained a team of youth in the region to run the radio broadcast and produce the news reports in order to expose the reality of the region and allow the voice of the people to be heard by officials in Amman.