5. Content Regulation The Press and Publications Law includes a number of restrictions on content for publications. The more general of these requirements are found in Articles 4, 5 and 7 of the Law. Article 4 is cast as a positive provision protecting press freedom, but it requires the press to operate “within the limits of the law and within the framework of preserving public liberties, rights and duties as well as respecting the private life of others”. For its part, Article 5 calls on publications to respect the truth, and not to publish content that “conflicts with the principles of freedom, national responsibility, human rights, and values of the Arab and Islamic nation”. Article 7 provides that journalists must respect the ethics of journalism and provides a list of six categories as examples of this, including the Code of Honour issued by the JPA. The five other categories cover: • Respecting public liberties and the rights of others, including privacy. • Treating freedom of expression and access to information as equal rights of citizens and the press. • Maintaining balance, objectivity and honour in press content. • Not publishing material likely to stir up violence or discord among citizens. • Refraining from bringing or obtaining advertisements. Breach of Article 5 is covered by Article 45(a), which provides for a fine of between JD 500 and 2,000, while breach of the other provisions is covered by the general sanction provision in Article 47(b), which provides for a fine of up to JD 500. According to media law expert Yahia Shukkeir, 80 of the 114 lawsuits filed against journalists between 2000 and 2006 were based on Articles 4, 5 and/or 7 of the PPL.24 The main problem with these provisions is that they are almost impossible to define properly and hence leave the print media open to prosecution for a very wide range of material. For example, the ideas of content that conflict with the principles of freedom, national responsibility or the values of the Arab and Islamic nation are extremely flexible in terms of possible interpretation. Another problem is that many provisions place positive obligations on the media which are simply not appropriate. It is not the job of the media, for example, to treat freedom of expression as an equal right of citizens or to respect public IREX/Jordan Media Strengthening Program and Center for Global Communication Studies, Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania. 2012. Introduction to News Media Law and Policy in Jordan: A primer compiled as part of the Jordan Media Strengthening Program, p. 33. See also p. 82 of Assessment of Media Development in Jordan: Based on UNESCO’s Media Development Indicators, note 7, and especially Table 7. 24 Jordan: Analysis of the Press and Publications Law, 1998, as Amended - 16