ISLAMABAD, Feb 5: The Unesco adviser on communication and information in Asia, Dr W. Jayaweera, underlined the need for extending media coverage to the rural areas with especial focus on women.

This he said while speaking at a seminar which was presided over by the director Unesco office in Islamabad, Ingeborg Breines, here on Wednesday, He said the Unesco considered freedom of expression as a fundamental value.

This was in conformity with Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which proclaims that “everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression”, Dr Jayaweera said. He, however, regretted that in this era of worldwide sway of electronic media and internet, most people in developing countries did not earn enough to own a computer or to get connected to the internet.

He said the main focus of the Unesco was on arranging professional training for journalists. But, as the mainstream media continued to ignore rural areas, the Unesco was trying to help set up community radio stations to highlight the social and economic issues and enhance local communities’ access to information.

He listed poverty, illiteracy, isolation and social exclusions as the major barriers to access. The Unesco, he said, had established seven websites in South Asia and one of these focused on the poor. The Unesco has selected 250 families, that will receive information and communication technology.

Mr Owais Aslam Ali, the secretary-general, Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF), said though there had been improvements in many aspects, such as the level of freedom, technical quality of production and media impact in raising the awareness of the people, “we still have a very long way in terms of media reach, quality and impact.”

There is a need to raise the professional competence of journalists about the problems of rural areas, he said adding the women’s perspective was missing in news from the rural areas. “Resistance of male journalists to the idea of women journalists may be a serious constraint”, he added.

Several speakers noted the gap between English language press and the vernacular one while some projected social, human rights and development issues. They admitted that most of the newspapers did not pay any emoluments to their district correspondents.

Prof Karim Malik from BZU Multan, criticised the journalists for failing to project issues faced by the people at the hands of feudals. Ms Nasim Zahra, a freelance journalist, devoted her remarks to the power now wielded by the media so much so that it often acted as the court of people.

Responding to the criticism by various participants about the monopoly of a few western agencies, Mr Jayaweera, expressed the view that this situation would not last very long. “The world is constantly in a flux. In 1974, only 24 per cent countries were democratic. Their proportion had risen to 61 per cent by 1993.” He foresaw a time soon when 100 per cent countries would be democratic.