Challenges in media: You are free to read, am I free to write?

SAFMA’s national moot debates freedom of expression.

BHURBAN:

President Mamnoon Hussain said on Sunday that the incumbent government is concerned about promotion of arts and culture, announcing that he will organise a poetry recital at the Presidency.

“The move will demonstrate that we value literature and arts,” he said.



He was addressing the participants at the second day of the South Asian Free Media Association (Safma) national conference, where speakers discussed issues and challenges related to media and peace and terrorism.

The president said the government acknowledged media’s and the people’s right to freedom of expression and the right to information. He talked about misuse of religion by extremists and protection of human rights.

“I admit the government is not a host of angels, but I assure you that it is working in the right direction,” he said.

The discussion in the two sessions was followed by what Safma Secretary General Imtiaz Alam called “the right to reply.”

Breaking stereotypes

Earlier, anthropologist and documentary film maker Samar Minallah urged that stories that broke stereotypes should be taken by the mainstream media. She gave the example of one of her stories about a woman chief in a village in Bajaur Agency.

Referring to a panellist’s comment about reasons behind Hazara killings in different parts of the country, a journalist from Balochistan said that confusion was created when anchors and writers commented on topics they didn’t know about.

Role of media owners

Several participants said that the quintessence of freedom of expression was meaningless if media owners did not promote it.

Lahore Press Club secretary Shahbaz Mian said, while working for a TV channel he was not allowed to file a story on Abdus Salam, however, his story on Mahatama Gandhi was taken instantly.

Social activist and author Fouzia Saeed said people wanted freedom of expression but did not know how to use it responsibly.

Writers and researchers among speakers said that journalists should focus on information and refrain from opinions in news.

Promoting ideas

Fahd Hussain, news director at Express News, said TV channels sometimes ended up promoting certain ideas without realising it. He said a story tended to adopt a specific style as it covered the journey from a reporter to the audience after passing through several hands, including copy editors and producers.

Safma was appreciated for keeping Urdu the medium of language at the two-day conference.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 30^th, 2013.