“You must know the laws and the code of ethics of political parties because only then can you monitor the elections accurately,” said journalist Matiullah Jan during the panel discussion at the event organised by Intermedia, a media watchdog, at the Avari hotel.
The six-hour event included discussions on fair reporting, facts and opinion, personal vs professional reporting, defamation, cultural and ethical sensitivities and sources.
Intermedia also organised the National Media Partnership on Democracy in Karachi on November 4.“You must know the laws and the code of ethics of political parties because only then can you monitor the elections accurately,” said journalist Matiullah Jan during the panel discussion.
He said that journalists must ensure their reports are free of personal bias and conflicts of interest. They should focus on issue-based reporting. The media should inform the public of all their choices in the local government elections. It should promote debate about issues of local governance. “The emphasis must be on investigating the truth,” he said.
But a journalist from the Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation said the truth was not always popular. In some cases it was against the national interest, such as in the Ajmal Kasab case, he said. Other panellists criticised his conception of the national interest of the country. “It is not for journalists to modify reality,” said one panellist.
The panellists agreed that defamation and irresponsible reporting “poisoned the well of information” for the general public and should be considered a crime against society.
Reporters also questioned how applicable the code of ethics would be in daily situations. Iqbal Khattak said reporters should try to cover remote areas.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 7th, 2010.
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