Press Council of Pakistan (PCP) Chairman Shafqat Abbasi on Thursday said the media was playing an important role in educating the society and strengthening the democratic system. He expressed these views at a seminar on ‘Media Ethics and Court Reporting’ organised by the Islamabad Bar Association in collaboration with ‘Press Council of Pakistan’ to create awareness of sensitivity of court reporting among court reporters. Media people and lawyers included in the participants of the event. Shafqat said court reporting was a sensitive job as a minor mistake can destroy their organisation, so court reporters must be trained and taught to follow code of conduct. He, however, added that court reporters were a vital part of the judicial system. They also informed the public about court proceedings, he added.
Shafqat said trail reporting was a specialised form of journalism, adding that media institutions should organise workshops to train journalists. He urged media people to keep in mind principles of fairness, accuracy, relevancy, impartiality, right of privacy and right of clarification while reporting a matter. He said sensationalism, encouragement of violence and terrorism had no place in journalism. He pointed out that the Press Council of Pakistan would also hold short courses in collaboration with the national universities to enhance capacity and professional capabilities. He added the Press Council of Pakistan would give Award of the Year to the best court reporter to promote healthy journalism.
