UNICEF urges journalists to highlight health, education sectors | Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF)

Pakistan Press Foundation

UNICEF urges journalists to highlight health, education sectors

LAHORE: Journalists and experts from across the country have stressed upon the need to focus on the real issues facing the people instead of highlighting politics and other stereotypical events, Daily Times learnt on Friday.

A well-known reporter Kamran Khan, the news director of a local television channel Fahad Hussein, United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) official Melissa Carkum and several others addressed the event that was organised by UNICEF with the title of ‘Rethinking Journalism 2’ at a local hotel. The event was organised to train journalists who were directed to give preference to health and education related issues over the general trend of highlighting political activities.

Health and education: Kamran said that journalists should report issues that directly affected the lives of common people. He said that the dimensions of the news had changed globally and anything that was associated with the public now fell under the definition of ‘news’. He also mentioned that there was a great scope of reporting health and education related issues, as it was something the media had given very little attention to.

Fahad Hussein explained that the reporters and editors were supposed to keep the public interested when publishing or airing a news item. He said that the establishment of good news depended on; the topic the news peg, the news angle and the public interest. He said that health and education related issues had more potential to qualify for the said criteria.

Melissa Carkum said that the UNICEF was organising such events to inform journalists of the importance of health and education and to update them regarding different activities being held by the United Nations in their country.
Source: Daily Times
Date:10/25/2008