KARACHI, July 1: Speakers at a seminar were of the opinion that since the Pakistani media is now relatively free, it must act with responsibility and keep media ethics in mind when producing content.
“Freedom is the biggest responsibility. Now that we see that the media has been given freedom, it is the media’s responsibility to act wisely.”
These views were expressed by former secretary information Mehtab Rashdi. She was speaking at a seminar titled ‘Responsibility and limitations of the media,’ organised by the Media Women Publishers and Journalists Organisation (MWPJO) at a local hotel on Tuesday.
Ms Rashdi said that the media had transformed over time. “During the martial law period, the media went through curbs like never before. When I used to host a radio show, no programme except the news, went live. And I am pretty sure that the news script was under great surveillance,” she said.
Talking about the media’s responsibilities, she said that showing mutilated bodies, especially in the electronic media, was not up to the mark of media ethics. “How many dead bodies did anyone see when 9/11 happened? What was repeatedly shown on the television screen was planes crashing into the World Trade Centre, but not people dying or mutilated bodies,” she claimed.
Sultana Siddiqui, who heads a local TV channel, said that the role of the media was to create awareness. “At times it seems like a rat race. One wonders which channel will break horrendous news first,” she said. She emphasised that there was a dire need to have people trained before they step into the media field.
Huma Baqi, a teacher at a private university, maintained that the sole responsibility of the media was to communicate the truth. She was of the opinion that the elite of society manipulated the media.
TV anchor P.J. Mir was highly critical of the overall situation pertaining to the media. He called the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) an “impotent body,” which was worth nothing.
Erum Masood, Ikram Saigol, and Majyd Aziz also spoke while the Minister for Women Development Tauqir Fatima Bhutto, who was the chief guest, praised the media and its efforts.
The initial session was followed by a panel discussion.