The Pakistani media enjoys freedom of press, but the real freedom is being enjoyed by the media owners.
This was observed during a vibrant discussion about media laws on Saturday at the US Consulate in Karachi to mark the World Press Freedom Day.
Over 70 Karachi-based journalists, media laws experts, bloggers and journalism students attended the dialogue.
The Express Tribune’s Kamal Siddiqui, Supreme Court advocate Zahid Ebrahim, an expert on media laws, and blogger Faisal Kapadia joined Jang Group’s Ghazi Salahuddin lead the discussions for different sessions.
In the consulate hall, portraits of journalists killed in Pakistan, including Saleem Shahzad, Wali Khan Babar and Denial Pearl, were displayed to pay tribute
The speakers said that media in Pakistan fully enjoys the freedom of press and even in some cases, it telecasts or prints something that is more than freedom, for which the media needs to implement code of conducts, while reporting different issues.
Most of the participants asked different questions about the safety, security and working environment of the journalists, impacts of citizen journalism on the society and on traditional media and also about the non-payment of salaries to employees by different newspapers and television channels.
Answering queries by the participants, the panellists said that though Pakistan is supposedly one of the most dangerous countries for journalists, most of the newspapers and television channels’ owners are not ensuring proper safety training or even giving their journalists proper equipments or insurance.
“A camera or the media vehicles are insured whereas the journalists are not, in such conditions working journalists feel insecure,” said a panellist.
In his concluding remarks, US Consul General in Karachi William Martin thanked the journalists.
He said: “I have become a big fan of the Pakistani media. As I meet journalists from all over Pakistan, I am struck by the talent, the imagination and the commitment I see here.”
In addition to sharing their views about media laws, the speakers also commented on the Urdu translation of the newly-published book Media Laws by Jane Kirtley, a professor of media ethics and law at the University of Minnesota.
The book was distributed among the participants to share the scholarly research on the historical evolution of media laws in western societies.
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The pakistan country is the back stabber to india and US countries. The terrorists are supported from pakistan government including its army and ISI with food, shelter and currency. The pakistan taliban terrorist Hakimullah mehsud was deserve to die like this way itself. Unless, these terrorists will not learn and they will destroy whole society and its environment. The pakistan Prime minister going to US to meet president to take back drone strikes should be objected. The drone attack, strikes is essential unless all the terrorists eliminated. The JuD terrorists baffoon-like, beggar-like Mohd. Hafeez Saeed should come across over same fate what the Mehsud happnened. So it is better to hand over to the Indian government for his terrorist activities or he must surrender to indian Government. Whenever terrorists is killed in pakistan the pakistan government will protest. Why. Are they are not ashamed off.
By;
K G vilop
+91-080-9886342035
India
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