ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Friday some sections of the media were not doing journalism on the basis of facts.

Speaking to a group of owners of private YouTube channels and social media activists at the Prime Minister Office, he highlighted how some media houses and anchorpersons had flourished with the passage of time and how others were wiped out, a source privy to the meeting told Dawn.

When some participants of the meeting told the prime minister that they had blocked many “fake” news items of formal media, the prime minister said that those who did not do journalism on the basis of facts vanished from the market while those who did factual reporting survived.

He said there were many credible journalists and anchorpersons in the media who always did responsible journalism.

Imran says only those journalists survived who did factual reporting

Later, at a press conference Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Information Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan said the government had devised a new media policy under which a due role would be given to social and digital media.

She said Prime Minister Khan encouraged youth to open their YouTube channels so that they could earn by themselves.

The SAPM said a special quota of advertisement was being allocated for the digital media and YouTube channels would be registered with the Press Information Department (PID).

She said owners and reporters of digital media would be given accreditation cards by the PID.

Published in Dawn, April 25th, 2020