The Quality of Media Coverage on Issues regarding People with Disabilities: Perspectives of Journalists and Special Education Teachers in Jordan

ABSTRACT

The current study investigated the quality of media coverage on issues regarding people with disabilities in Jordan from the perspectives of journalists and special education teachers. Although Jordan has adopted legislation to support and protect people with disabilities, people with disabilities are three times more likely to be illiterate & half as likely to be employed. Although physical accessibility creates some barriers, negative attitudes and stigma are major barriers. Since media can play a significant role in attitudes towards people with disabilities, this study surveyed journalists’ and special education teachers’ perceptions of the quality of media coverage in Jordan. Using convenience sampling, 160 journalists and 208 special education teachers from Amman and Irbid cities participated in the study by completing self-administered paper-and-pencil questionnaires. Results indicate that, overall, journalists and special education teachers felt the quality of media coverage for issues related to people with disabilities in Jordan was acceptable (but not good or excellent), although journalists were statistically significantly more likely to rate the quality of coverage was better than the rating provided by special education teachers.

KEYWORDS:

• Arab
• disabilities
• Jordan
• journalists
• media images
• special education
• teachers

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.