Khaberni - The Jordanian Armed Forces - the Arab Army, continue to protect the skies of Jordan no matter how high, and its land no matter how vast, from any foreign attacks, where it has taken 28 military and security measures to protect Jordan since the outbreak of the latest Iranian-American-Israeli war.
The role of military media in providing accurate information began since the events started 10 days ago. This role was not improvised but has been established for over 61 years, specifically since 1965, continuously contributing to countering fake news, rumors, misleading information, and psychological warfare led by various parties with ulterior motives. Besides, it plays a role in reinforcing the values of loyalty and belonging to the nation, and portraying the real image of events domestically and internationally.
The armed forces delivered a joint military briefing with public security that included 28 Jordanian measures to deal with attacks targeting Jordanian territories, notably preventing the reach of 108 missiles and drones to Jordanian targets through Jordanian air defense systems that undertook to protect the kingdom's skies, elevate the immediate alert levels, and deploy engineering teams to deal with the shrapnels and missiles that fell on Jordanian areas, including wide areas of the Jordanian badia.
Ten days after the Iranian attacks on Jordanian territories, the Jordanian Armed Forces succeeded in preventing missiles and drones from achieving their targets, where they ended up under army control, and during this time, the military media provided accurate, continuous information to the public, which contributed to reassuring the Jordanians and confirming that Jordan is in safe hands.
Jordan University sociology professor, Dr. Maisa Al-Rawashdeh, told the Jordan News Agency (Petra) that in times of wars and crises, the battle is not limited only to the military field but extends to another equally dangerous field - the field of psychological and informational warfare. In this domain, narratives and news clash and rumors and misleading information that aim to weaken society's confidence in its institutions and destabilize its psychological and moral stability spread.
She added, the vital role of military media in the Jordanian Armed Forces - the Arab Army, was clear in managing the media and military discourse and enhancing confidence between the army and the society as well as in protecting public awareness from deceit.
Rawashdeh pointed out that the Jordan Armed Forces have had an exceptional relationship throughout their history with the Jordanian society, based on mutual trust and respect. The Jordanian society views the army as its most credible national institution and sees in its leadership a symbol of wisdom and stability, hence, information and data issued by the armed forces are highly trusted, which gives military media a pivotal role in crisis management and steering public opinion towards a correct understanding of events.
She explained that military media during crises perform several essential functions, most importantly providing correct, accurate, and reliable information in a timely manner, which prevents an information vacuum often exploited by rumors, contributing to calming society and spreading peace of mind through a balanced media discourse that clarifies the facts without exaggeration or minimization, and enhances citizens' feelings of having strong institutions capable of protecting the homeland and managing crises with wisdom and capability.
She pointed out that the pace of spreading rumors and misleading news typically rises during crises, as some malicious parties or hostile entities seek to exploit the general anxiety to propagate inaccurate information serving political or psychological goals. In this context, the military media emerges as the first line of defense against these campaigns, by correcting false information, enhancing public awareness, and enabling citizens to distinguish between trustworthy sources and suspicious ones.
Rawashdeh emphasized that military media plays a significant role in uplifting and enhancing national morale, noting that studies in military sociology and political psychology confirm that high morale among society and the army is a crucial element in resilience during crises. Modern wars are not determined by military strength alone but also by society's ability to maintain cohesion and confidence in its leadership and institutions. Therefore, psychological warfare is often used as a tool to weaken opponents by targeting their morale and instilling fear and doubt.
She noted that a society that has high confidence in its army and leadership is more capable of resisting and persisting in facing challenges, as high morale fosters national solidarity and strengthens faith in the state's ability to protect its citizens and defend its sovereignty, and this distinction characterizes the Jordanian experience, where society's cohesion and support for its leadership and armed forces are evident in different crises.
She said that the importance of military media for the Jordanian Armed Forces lies in being a strategic tool for protecting national security, not only by conveying information but also by building societal awareness capable of resisting rumors and psychological warfare since the battle for awareness is as crucial as the battle on the ground. Victory begins with maintaining public trust in the army, belief in the wisdom of its leadership, and a sense of security under strong and responsible national institutions.
Rawashdeh stated that maintaining this trust and enhancing it represents one of the most important factors for national stability, making military media a fundamental pillar in the Jordanian national security system, especially in an era where information accelerates and the means of media and psychological influence grow. Thus, developing military media tools and enhancing its media and educational presence remains a continuous necessity to face contemporary challenges and preserve societal cohesion in times of peace and crises alike.
Editor and media content observer at the Jordanian Media Credibility Monitor, Sawsan Abu Al-Sandas, said that during wars and crises, the circulation of fake news and rumors increases, where the proportion of misleading content on social media platforms in such crises reaches about 85%, and finding accurate and trustworthy news sources becomes a pressing and essential necessity for the public.
She affirmed that military media has become one of the most important sources characterized by the flow of information continuously and according to the requirements of the crises, stating that managing information and providing it to the public are some of the notable features offered by military media in the Jordanian Armed Forces - the Arab Army, during the war that erupted ten days ago, where Jordanians did not feel an information vacuum or its absence, due to its immediate availability from the armed forces.
Abu Al-Sandas clarified that the military information released to the public is very well studied and creates a significant atmosphere of reassurance for the society, especially in a war of substantial information flow from media channels and social media platforms, thus military information from a trusted source represented by military media takes the public to the truth and reality, away from the publishers of rumors, and false and misleading news.
