13 Widespread rumours since the implementation of Defense Law No. 13

  • 2020-03-22
  • 12

The Jordanian Media Credibility Monitor “Akeed” tracked the spread of rumours between March 17th and 22nd, following the Jordanian government’s announcement to implement Defense Law No.13 of 1992, whereby 13 rumours were recorded.

According to Akeed, rumours during this five day period included false information about coronavirus and its effects and audio recordings and video clips about people being infected with the virus in the kingdom.

Akeed detected misleading medical information reported by social media users and some news sites, including the following information:

The coronavirus causes infertility in men. Akeed confirmed from reliable medical references that the rumours about infertility are scientifically inaccurate.

Coronavirus and SARS virus are similar. After consulting World Health Organization (WHO) resources, Akeed verified that the two viruses are different. Whereas SARS is more deadly, it is less infectious.

Infection can be caused by coming into contact with pets. WHO confirmed that there is no scientific evidence that the virus can spread from domesticated animals.

The virus is transmitted through contaminated commercial commodities. WHO clarified that the risk of being infected with the virus through commodities and shipping parcels is minimal.

Vaccines used to protect against pneumonia can also be used against coronavirus. WHO confirmed that the coronavirus is different and requires its own vaccine

Akeed also monitored the circulation of video clips of seemingly unwell and exhausted people in public with claims that they are infected with the coronavirus. However, authorities maintained that the people appearing in the videos do not have coronavirus and are merely exhausted.

What was remarkable during this period was the large number of audio recordings that were circulated on Whatsapp which spread false information and rumours, causing panic and anxiety among community members. Among these recordings:

A half-minute long audio recording in which a person discusses the death of a relative due to coronavirus and claims that others infected with the virus were gathering at a public hospital emergency entrance. The director of the hospital and the official in charge of the coronavirus file at the Ministry of Health told Akeed that the information in this audio recording is false.

An audio recording of a woman claiming that an employee at a bakery in Marj al-Hamam was infected with coronavirus and was later transported to a hospital by security services. The security services denied these claims, noting that there are no cases of coronavirus in Marj al-Hamam.

Additional misinformation circulated by social networking sites and some media outlets included the following:

A local news outlet incorrectly interpreting a statement from the Minister of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship as saying that the internet would be cut across the kingdom in order to deal with the repercussions of the coronavirus. In a press conference, the minister clarified that although there may be increased pressure on the internet, rumours about the internet being cut are false.

Information circulated on social media and attributed to the Ministry of Education that the Ministry decided to drop the second semester of schooling. Education Minister, Dr. Tayseer al-Nuaimi, later denied the validity of these rumours in his statement to the local media.

Social media posts about a government-enforced curfew to stop the spread of coronavirus [before the imposition of the curfew]. Government officials denied the validity of these posts, highlighting that the curfew was not announced until March 17.

The publication and circulation on Facebook of a post using the official logo of a local news outlet claiming that the number of cases of coronavirus in the kingdom increased to 119. However, the local news outlet denied publishing these claims, maintaining that it has no relation to those fabricated posts. According to statements from the Minister of Health, the official number of cases at the time of publication [of the original Arabic version of this report] was 99.

Local news outlets also reported the death of a Jordanian doctor in Italy. These claims were denied by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates. The Ministry’s Spokesperson, Ambassador Daifallah al-Fayez, stated that no infections among Jordanian citizens abroad have been reported [up until the publication of this report in Arabic] and that the Jordanian doctor in Italy died of a heart attack, not coronavirus.

Additional rumours spread through social media of a statement from the Kingdom's Grant Mufti stating that divorce during the curfew is invalid. The Mufti later denied the validity of this rumour and warned against circulating rumours and incorrect information.

Akeed calls on citizens to properly handle content produced by social media users, refrain from sharing content until they are sure of its credibility, and avoid relying on social media as their main source of news without taking into account the accuracy of the information in order to deter the spread of rumours.