Media should not be treated as corporate entity: Sherry | Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF)

Pakistan Press Foundation

Media should not be treated as corporate entity: Sherry

ISLAMABAD: Media is not a corporate entity and it should never be run on corporate basis, said former federal minister for information Sherry Rehman.

She was addressing participants of a two-day workshop on ‘Free, Independent and Responsible Media’ (FIRM) here on Tuesday. Individualland Pakistan organised the workshop.

She called for evaluating the existing bill on the right to information. “Any bill or law exists primarily to facilitate a citizen to hold the government accountable,” she noted.

She said it was imperative that phraseology of laws should be made as easy as possible so that common man could comprehend it. She said every law looked striking on paper. “What is needed is the proper implementation of the law,” she asserted.

Sherry added the present democratic government was engaged in a vast re-mapping of media laws and policies. “This important moment for building more democratic media is attributable to the rapidly changing geo-political situation,” she said.

She asked journalists to act on reason rather than passion. “Journalism is a service to the nation and that is the way it should be looked at,” she opined. “Free, responsible and independent media go hand in hand with citizens in a democratic setup,” she observed.

Individualland Pakistan Director Gulmina Bilal Ahmed, in her opening remarks, said both citizens and laws complemented each other. Recollecting from yesterday’s session, she said, “Such initiatives highlight the attention being paid to this subject and that citizens contribute to the improvement of media,” she added.

Society for Alternative Media and Research (SAMAR) Executive Director Mazhar Arif speaking on ‘Citizens’ Perspective and Media’ stressed the need for free and impartial media.

Friedrich-Naumann-Stifting Für Die Freiheit Resident Representative Olaf Kellerhoff spoke about the significance of free and responsible media and dynamic citizenship as contributing factors in a democratic society.

During the course of two-day discussion, everyone shared views and experiences of working in media.

Large number of media men attended the workshop. Gulmina concluded the workshop with remarks, “Feedback from citizens is necessary for addressing issues pertaining to the Pakistani media.”
Source: Daily Times
Date:8/4/2010