Asia media defence body set up
* N Ram chairman, Najam Sethi general secretary
NEW DELHI: A mechanism to highlight attacks on media professionals and organisations across South Asia has been proposed under the auspices of the South Asia Media Commission (SEMC) at its founding conference here on Monday.
Members of the national chapters of the SEMC elected N Ram, editor of The Hindu, as chairman and Najam Sethi, editor of the Daily Times, as general secretary of the regional commission. Hussain Naqi, a veteran journalist from Pakistan and editor of the South Asia Media Monitor, will be the commission coordinator.
The mechanism under the SEMC will spread news of any violation of media rights or intimidation of journalists or their organisations though print, electronic and Internet networks simultaneously in all eight member countries of the South Asia Association for Regional Cooperation.
The commission has set itself the task of devising codes of practice and guidelines for media organisations to deal with diverse situations affecting journalists. The commission will also address the principles of media accountability, transparency and social responsibility.
Speaking at the conference, India’s Minister for Information and Broadcasting Priya Ranjan Das Munshi called on South Asian nations to adopt a uniform policy on the free flow of media persons and products. He assured the media persons gathered here that the 14th SAARC summit being hosted by India would seriously consider the issues of free flow of information and media-related issues.
“Decisions will be taken in the next few days. You will not go from here frustrated. Something will come out of this summit,” said the minister.
Munshi praised the maturity of Indian and Pakistan media in their treatment of incidents like the July 2006 Mumbai blasts and Samjhota Express train blasts. He asked the media to critically report developmental plans of other countries and budgetary allocations on social sectors.
The minister, however, underlined that a threat to media freedom and free expression was coming now not from governments, but from within, in the form of corporate interests and the challenges of globalisation.
Source: Daily Times
Date:4/3/2007
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