Today, two broadcasters – and here I specifically mean “broadcasters,” not “media professionals” – deliver a message to the women of Jordan: attend World Cup matches silently, apply makeup, style your hair, and cheer quietly.
To some, these directives might seem like a mere joke, but in reality, they carry a deeper and more dangerous message. They perpetuate one of the most entrenched stereotypes: that a woman's role is confined to her aesthetic presence, and her intellectual or athletic participation is unwelcome as if understanding football or engaging in discussion about it is a male privilege that women should not encroach upon.
Content that frames women within ready-made molds, marginalizes them, or reduces them to stereotypes does not serve media professionalism, but rather contributes to the reproduction of societal biases and the entrenchment of discrimination.
Everyone has the right to be represented fairly and justly, and it is the duty of the media to reflect reality responsibly, not to construct it based on prejudice. Some may quickly classify any objection to this type of discourse as ideological stances or part of identity and gender discussions, but the essence of the issue goes much further.
Rejecting the framing, stereotyping, or marginalization of women is not an ideological stance or a bias towards a particular intellectual or political stream; it is a defense of the fundamental principles of media work. It is a defense of professional ethics, and of the public's right to responsible media that respects humanity, avoids perpetuating prejudice, and plays its role in building awareness rather than reproducing societal biases.
The problem here is not football or humor, but the media discourse when it uses its platform to reinforce stereotyping and framing instead of questioning them. The media's role is not only to convey messages but to contribute to shaping collective consciousness and redefining what is acceptable and unacceptable within society. And the greater responsibility and impact of a message from a national screen.
This repeated transgression opens up an important discussion on two levels.
First: The Jordanian national media and the framing of women
Is it acceptable for national media platforms to reproduce stereotypes about Jordanian women? And does this align with the national discourse, which is supposed to emphasize the equal participation of women in public life, in politics, economics, culture, and sports, rather than reenforcing traditional roles that have marginalized them for decades?
Second: Who is a media professional? And what are the professional standards for media institutions?
When such practices recur, the issue no longer relates to a single content or broadcaster, but raises a larger question about the definition of a media professional itself, and the professional standards that should govern the operations of media institutions in Jordan.
Not everyone who stands in front of a camera is a media professional in the professional sense. A media professional is one who understands the impact of words, knows that the screen is not a space for reproducing biases, but a platform for building awareness, respecting human dignity, and presenting content that adheres to accuracy, fairness, and social responsibility.
The continuation of this discourse tests the professionalism of the media institution and necessitates a serious review of codes of conduct, editorial monitoring mechanisms, and the standards by which media performance is measured. Freedom of expression is not incompatible with professionalism; rather, it is completed by it, and national media is measured not only by viewership rates but by its ability to elevate public discourse, not degrade it.
The issue is not about defending women because they are women, nor is it an ideological battle between differing intellectual currents. It is quintessentially a professional issue; a cause for media that respects the person before anything else. When the screen turns into a tool for enforcing marginalization and stereotyping, the loss does not fall on women alone but also on the profession of media itself, and on the public's trust in institutions that are supposed to be a model of responsibility and awareness.
Haniyah Barqawi
