Media must devise code of conduct, says Kaira
* Information minister says government to launch public awareness campaign against terrorism
ISLAMABAD: Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira on Friday asked the media to ‘avoid’ airing live coverage of suicide bombings, as they created panic and fear among the general public, and directed the Broadcast Media Association to immediately formulate a voluntary code of conduct.
Kaira said the government would devise a code for the media itself if the association failed to act on the government’s directions.
“The government does not want to interfere in the media’s affairs. We should follow the Indian example, their media came up with an indigenous code hours after the Mumbai attacks,” he added.
He said the government had decided to launch a public awareness campaign against terrorism through the print and electronic media and by organising events to sensitise the masses about the threats posed by terrorists to the country.
“The ongoing military operation is just a small part of the war. The war against the militant mindset is a long war, which we need to start fighting now,” the information minister told reporters.
Kaira said the federal government would formulate a joint strategy to raise awareness against terrorism in consultation with all four provinces, adding that a meeting of provincial information ministers would be held every month to review progress on the campaign. Kaira said the government had also decided to launch the anti-terrorism awareness campaign in regional languages.
“There is a small segment in society that still believes these terrorists were working towards a just cause. This perception needs to be changed” he said.
Source: Daily Times
Date:6/13/2009
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