ISLAMABAD, April 17: Speakers at a seminar here on Thursday called upon the media to play its role in promoting peace and combating terrorism in the society.

The seminar on “Terrorism and conflict in media” was organised by the Bahria University with an objective to encourage intellectual and realistic approach in the students and enhance their understanding about diverse situations.

Speaking on the occasion, Najma Sadiq from the Salzburg University, Austria, said that terrorism was becoming a real threat world-wide, especially after 9/11. She said the media was prioritising the issues, putting emphasis on one issue while neglecting the others.

At the same time, instead of giving importance to the issue, it tries to sensationalise and create hype among the viewers, she added.

“Terrorism is in fact a stereotype created by the media, but it is important for everyone to look into main issues themselves”, she said.

She urged the audience not to become the victim of information but to analyse it objectively. “Media identifies and anticipates issues but does not motivate people to counter them,” she said, adding that the media could in fact play a major role in reducing prejudice.

Khadim Hussain said that the current media was a corporate media and put forward recommendations for improvement in it.—APP