Jordan News Agency, known as PETRA, is Jordan’s official news agency. It started operations in 1969.
Media assets
News agency: PETRA
State Media Matrix Typology: State-Controlled (SC)
Ownership and governance
PETRA was established through a Royal Decree in 1969. It was at the time subordinated to the Ministry of Information. In 2004, the agency became independent as the ministry of information was dissolved. PETRA is now subordinated to the Minister of State for Media Affairs and Communications who holds the position of PETRA’s chairman.
Source of funding and budget
PETRA is majority funded by the government. The agency received in 2019 a total of JOD 2.8m (nearly US$ 4m) from the government, according to local experts and journalists. The agency also generates funding by selling its products (mainly news content).
Editorial independence
PETRA’s editorial decision-making process is under tight government control, according to local journalists and experts and ad hoc content analysis.
No domestic statute and no independent assessment or oversight mechanism to validate the editorial independence of PETRA has been identified during the latest round of research.
August 2023