Journalists should be given training, says Fawad Chaudhry

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry on Friday lashed out at YouTubers for operating with "impunity".

The federal minister, addressing at an event, said several YouTubers think they should be allowed to do whatever they want and no action should be taken against them.

The minister urged the media to provide solutions to deal with the issue of fake news, as it had become a big challenge in the era of modern technology.

Chaudhry emphasised training journalists in the realm of modern technology, enabling them to deal with modern warfare. He said the media should initiate a debate within itself to face the challenge of fake news.

Moreover, the federal minister stressed the need for providing information with responsibility.

Talking about India, Chaudhry said the country had created 785 websites to disseminate fake news against Pakistan, which were linked with an Indian wire agency — and India’s leading news channels were giving credence to falsehood.

He said on average 175 fake news are created on daily basis by Indian channels. Moreover, the minister pointed out that two incidents — harassment with a TikToker at Minar-e-Pakistan and Noor Mukadam’s murder — were used to malign Pakistan and give an impression that the country was unsafe for women.