Press Freedom Day observed across country
ISLAMABAD: The World Press Freedom Day 2008 was observed across Pakistan on Saturday.
A rally was organised by the Rawalpindi-Islamabad Union of Journalists (RIUJ) in the federal capital to mark the Day.
The rally commenced from the Press Club, Melody Market and culminated at the Parade Avenue.
Eminent journalists, politicians, human rights activists, lawyers, social workers and people from all walks of life attended the rally.
Speakers were of the view that press freedom was a prerequisite for a knowledge-based society, as the press provided awareness to the general public by disseminating information.
Most of the speakers linked the freedom of press to the independence of judiciary.
They also denounced the media curbs imposed by the past government, saying that more steps were needed to ensure media freedom.
Some speakers also condemned the incidents of violence against the working journalists. They expressed concern over the journalists killed in the line of duty. They also expressed concern over the threats to the journalists and called for measures to ensure that journalists could work without fear or harassment.
The freedom of information and the transparency it promotes has a direct consequence on fighting corruption which, in turn, has a tangible impact on development.
Freedom of information and freedom of expression work against concentration of information within the hands of a few.
Of course, all information is subject to interpretation.
For this reason, the clearinghouse function of an open and pluralistic media sector is critical to a better understanding of any issue, the speakers said.
Source: The News
Date:5/4/2008
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