‘News is not to be broken,but investigated, professionally reported’

Islamabad

News is not to be broken but thoroughly investigated and professionally reported. For that, journalists should be given sufficient time to cover the news in a comprehensive and holistic manner to maintain the sanctity of the news. Also, training around the core principles for ethical journalism and good governance of media must be carried out on a periodic basis by the media organisations.

These points were raised by speakers at the launching ceremony of Code of Ethics (CoE) for Media in Pakistan, prepared by Pakistan Coalition for Ethical Journalism (PCEJ), a group of distinguished and veteran journalists of Pakistan, after a rigorous year-long consultation with 1,477 media stakeholders representing 100 districts. The launching ceremony was held by Pak-Institute for Peace Studies (PIPS) at the Islamabad Press Club, says a press release.

Senior journalist M. Ziauddin said while covering war has remained a normal practice for journalists, covering and reporting terrorism is an entirely different area. Many lives have been lost in covering terrorism. Such casualties can be reduced by proper conflict-sensitive training to the journalists by media groups. Also, there should be a dedicated prosecutor to investigate killing of and injuries to journalists in conflict zones, which would help understand the conflict environment as well as reduce such happenings. He highlighted the difference between print and broadcast media in following journalism ethics. The latter, he argued, needs to be more careful as it has comparatively less time to counter-check facts. Addressing the issue of cross-media ownership would also help promote ethical journalism, he noted.

President Rawalpindi and Islamabad Union of Journalists Afzal Butt said the government is in process to introduce a journalists’ protection bill, which he argued, will enhance safety and security of media and journalists. He was of the view that families of media workers killed in the line of duty should be provided compensation similar to that provided to families of government officials.

President of National Press Club Shakeel Anjum highlighted the danger of religious, sectarian and ethnic fragmentation among journalists, which he believed, is not only against fundamental ethics of journalism but also fatal for the country’s social fabric.

Earlier, Safdar Sial, research analysts at PIPS, briefed the participating journalists about the core principles of ethical journalism espoused in the recommended CoE as well as accompanying recommendations for their incorporation in the work of journalists. These principles included: truth and accuracy; pluralism and diversity; independence, fairness and impartiality; confidence and privacy; accountability and good governance; and, ‘do no harm’. The CoE recommends, he noted, that media and journalists should be professional and maintain editorial independence in the exercise of their work, avoiding all conflicts of interest and undue bias. Also, media should encourage internal debates and training on the need and ways of careful and conflict sensitive reporting.