‘Pakistani media lacks sense of responsibility’
Fasahat Mohiuddin
Karachi: Being responsible is the backbone of journalism, but the Pakistani media lack this aspect, senior journalist and author Zahid Hussain said on Friday.
“The media in Pakistan try to exaggerate or create hype, deviating from actual reporting,” he said while speaking on the topic “Press and media in today’s world – Power, Pitfalls and Responsibility, Frontline Pakistan Scorpions Tails” at the Alliance Francaise.
“There is a lack of training among journalists these days. They should give attention to studying various subjects including international affairs.”
Hussain said the media should report responsibly and never lose their credibility.
“It is very difficult in Pakistan if a journalist tries to be completely impartial or completely partial. Sometimes they face the owners’ pressure and cannot be neutral.
“Journalists should not take sides. When a journalist becomes a party, the problem is not highlighted.”
A large number of journalists in Pakistan are killed, mostly in remote areas. Hussain said he knew from experience that working in FATA was very dangerous.
“Reaching there and getting in touch with sources is highly dangerous and difficult. There is also the language barrier.”
Hussain noted that journalists in western countries worked responsibly while those in Pakistan were taking undue advantage of press freedom.
TV anchorpersons
He also criticised TV anchorpersons for creating hype over issues. They, he claimed, were trained journalists.
“When journalists report for newspapers, they are trained in the field and groomed under a senior editor. In the electronic media, the role of a real journalist is nowhere to be seen.”
The senior journalist said TV anchorpersons were conducting talk shows on domestic and international affairs at the same time without having any clue about these issues.
“In the West, there are producers and senior journalists assisting anchorpersons, who fully understand the subject before conducting talk shows. That is not the case in Pakistan and the viewers are left confused.”
Source: The News
” 
” 
” 
” 
