Mian Ethsam Waheed, while conducting a two-day workshop for journalists on Wednesday, said that the media’s responsibility was to present a complete and unbiased picture to the public. He said that the constitution of Pakistan ensured media freedom which has a responsibility towards journalists. Individual Land-Pakistan (IL-Pakistan) with the support of the Friedrich Naumann Stifting fur die Freiheit (FNF) is working to promote the concept of a Free, Independent and Responsible Media (FIRM) in Pakistan. For the purpose, IL-Pakistan is engaging with the media, so that citizen groups and media can learn from each other. Waheed said the media in Pakistan had gone through a ‘remarkable change’ during the last decade.
The print and electronic media in the country had become ‘vivacious’, with the bringing on of numerous TV and radio channels and newspapers. The media has ‘rightly’ been called the fourth estate pillar, as it ensured ‘lucidity’ in the business of the state and raised awareness, he said. The media has a responsibility to strengthen the ‘nascent democracy’, he said. The workshop was based on “Handbook on and for FIRM” developed by IL-Pakistan with the partnership of FNF. This handbook is developed after consultations with various journalists across the country, from last year’s workshops and is intended to serve as guidebook for media. The workshop was the final one of the series held across the country, where journalists were nominated for this concluding session. Mian Ethsam Waheed, Zulfiqar Haider and Yahya Ahmad were moderators for the workshop on behalf of IL-Pakistan.