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.

摘要

本研究从记者和特殊教育教师的角度调查了媒体对约旦残疾人问题的报道质量。尽管约旦已通过立法来支持和保护残疾人，但残疾人成为文盲的可能性是其三倍，就业可能性是后者的一半。尽管身体上的可及性造成了一些障碍，但消极态度和污名化是主要障碍。由于媒体可以在对残疾人的态度方面发挥重要作用，因此本研究调查了记者和特殊教育教师对约旦媒体报道质量的看法。使用便利抽样，来自安曼和伊尔比德市的 160 名记者和 208 名特殊教育教师通过完成自填式纸笔问卷参与了这项研究。结果表明，总体而言，记者和特殊教育教师认为媒体对约旦残疾人相关问题的报道质量是可以接受的（但不是好或优秀），尽管从统计数据来看，记者更有可能认为报道质量是优于特殊教育教师提供的评级。