Seminar: Resolving issues of the common man through media

Swat varsity holds event to raise awareness about community media.


Fazal Khaliq May 16, 2012

SWAT:


To encourage community participation in the media and help raise local voices, a seminar on the importance of community media was held at the University of Swat on Tuesday.


Dr Altafullah Khan, who is chairman of Peshawar University’s Journalism and Mass Communication department, explained that unlike mainstream media, community media is focused on the issues of the common man and gives the opportunity of debate, interaction and participation of the people, fostering in them a sense of ownership.

Community media is limited to a certain population, usually marginalised, to give importance to even the smallest of their concerns, he said, adding that it helps present global issues in a localized manner.

Khan said there is a “media vacuum” prevalent in Pakistan in which audience are presented without their due representation. “The audience in mainstream media is passive, has no voice or identity, whereas community media is all about the audience’s interaction,” he said. Khan also expressed concern over sensationalism in mainstream media, adding that community media can go a long way in changing this course.

Giving examples of the West, Khan said that there is an active and strong presence of community media structure in Europe and the United States. The seminar was attended by local media persons, faculty staff and students.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 16th, 2012.

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