PEMRA issues notice to TV channel for violating ethics during Ayesha Gulalai’s presser

Three journalists had accused the channel of trying to portray that they were behind Gulalai's harassment allegations

The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) has issued a show-cause notice to private news channel ARY News for violating journalistic ethics on the complaint of three senior journalists who belong to the Jang Media Group.

A statement issued by Pemra on Tuesday read that journalists Abdul Qayyum Saddiqi, Azaz Syed and Ayaz Akbar complained to the authority that while airing MNA Ayesha Gulalai’s press conference on August 1 wherein she accused Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief Imran Khan of sending lewd text messages to the party’s women, ARY News portrayed them as “architects of Ayesha Gulalai’s press conference and her PTI-bashing”.



Saddiqi further complained that while covering the issue, the rival channel ridiculed and insulted him, and also showed his and the other complainants’ pictures with misleading captions, insinuating that they had a hand in Gulalai’s allegations.



This act of ARY is equivalent to demeaning senior journalists, Saddiqui said to Pemra.

In response, the regularity body has issued a show-cause notice to the channel seeking its reply by August 15 and also summoned its chief executive officer on the same day for a personal hearing.



“Airing such content is against journalistic ethics and deemed an attempt to lead viewers astray,” Pemra stated, adding that ARY News had also violated various clauses of the Electronic Media Code of Conduct.

Pemra will initiate ex-parte proceedings if it does not receive a response from ARY by the set date and its chief officer fails to show up for the hearing.