ISLAMABAD, Aug 30:  Former minister for information, Javed Jabbar in regard to media and morality contended that definitions of indecency and vulgarity would always be subjective and it would almost be impossible to evolve a consensus on morality.

In fact, it was important to educate and train young viewers to critically question the information that is presented to them, rather than vilify it in narrow parameters of right and wrong.

Although former Ameer of the Jamaat-e-Islami, Qazi Husain Ahmed, said that the Council of Islamic Ideology should define meanings of obscenity so that religious values are not violated on TV.

This was debated among a forum of young parliamentarians from across Pakistan, who have come of age in the era of talk shows and breaking-news.

The proliferation of the private news industry has increased the cacophony of views on news and electronic forums, often making it difficult to discern truth from fiction.

“An important role of the media is to ensure transparency in public departments,” said Shafaq Abbasi, Chairman of Press Council Pakistan. Restrictions and coercion in the past has limited the space for public debate, silencing gross violations by state institutions.

“The media’s role as a watchdog cannot be denied in strengthening democratic culture. A set of criteria to hire journalists and register newspapers can improve media ethics,” Abbasi added.

Ongoing conflicts in Fata, Khyber-Pakthunkhwa and Balochistan have made it difficult for journalists to present factual on-ground information.

“They rely on press releases issued by the military establishment, and in greed of the news they often fail to verify the information they present,” said Maitullah Jan, reporter at Waqt News.     Issues of access and authenticity remain a challenge while reporting from war zones.

This makes it difficult to discern the innocent from the terrorists, the number of women and children caught in the line of fire.

“Most journalists embed themselves with the military in order to get a sense of the conflict. This creates misunderstanding since on the one hand the media condemns and opposes tactics of war, but on the other it glorifies in its news reporting,” Jan argued. This confusion remains relevant for both producers and consumers of news.

While a code of ethics can create more professionalism within media houses, it remains important to find a space where freedom of information is also not controlled.

This balance will define the quality of journalism in Pakistan.