The Jordan News Agency (Petra) celebrates its 53rd anniversary on Saturday. For the past decades, the national agency has pursued professional and responsible journalism, focusing first and foremost on domestic issues and guided by the professional standards of transparency, impartiality and credibility.

"The agency follows a royal vision that emphasizes the media's role in defining society's priorities and interests, building knowledge, influencing trends and practices, defending human rights and shaping the nation's image at home and abroad," said Petra Director-General Fayek Hijazeen.

Petra's message, he emphasized, is to convey citizens' concerns and needs to decision makers, as well as highlight the country's achievements and serve "as a compass for modern professional media."

Faisal Shboul, Minister of State for Media Affairs, reaffirmed the government's commitment to "maintaining Petra as a trailblazer for national media, serving as the mirror of the nation and its people, as well as a platform to articulate the positions and constants of the Jordanian state".

The minister, who is also the government's spokesman, stated that Petra has always been a role model in terms of credibility, professionalism, and conveying the state's message, emphasizing that the government will continue to support the agency to remain "the shining beacon for local and international media."

Petra publishes an average of 160 Arabic stories and more than 35 English stories per day. It is the Kingdom's primary source of local news. The agency has correspondents all over the Kingdom, as well as in many capitals around the world.

Petra began as a division of the Department of Press and Publication on January 17, 1965, before becoming an independent government agency in 1969.