Seminar opposes present form of press council
KARACHI- Speakers at a seminar on the need for a Press Council in Pakistan criticized the attitude of All Pakistan Newspapers Society (APNS), Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE) and the authorities for not taking view point of stake holders like working journalists and the general public into it.
The Seminar was organised under the weekly programme by Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF) in its Media Library.
In his opening remarks, chief editor PPI raised the query regarding negotiations between the Government, CPNE and APNS.
He said the reports coming out from the main dispute suggest that government wants to appoint their nominee as chairman of the council while APNS and CPNE want to include their consultations also, however, without any powers its role to redress complaints will be negligible.
He stressed that the newspapers must follow certain norms of ethics while it is the responsibility of editors and publishers to settle the issue among them.
Director PPF, Samina Ishaq informed about different activities of PPF for promoting journalism in rural areas of the country.
Wali Zahid, Director Management Development, British Council spoke about learning from other countries’ experience and pointed out that press councils in most of the countries around the world are related with democracies.
He further that in view of ineffective role by Press Council in UK, editors of different newspapers there decided to form an independent body in 1989 and formulated their own code of practice, which are highly successful in the country. Though this model in being followed in Sri Lanka but he added, the conditions in Pakistan are totally different and this model cannot be implemented here.
Mahmood ul Aziz, Vice President CPNE said that press in Pakistan has been facing restrictions regarding access and publication of information and there has been an uninterrupted struggle between the press and bureaucrats who want to hold free flow of information.
He informed about the reason holding formation of Press Council in Pakistan and detailed the historical events in this regard when a press committee was formed in 1962 by late Hameed Nizami.
Whereas the issue has again surfaced during the current non elected government and one basic outcome of these meetings are that publishers and owners present their own demands to authorities, he stated.
He said present deadlock is due to freedom of information ordinance, which is being demanded by APNS and CPNE.
Abdul Hameed Chhapra, President All Pakistan Newspapers Employees Confederation (APNEC) criticised formation of a press council under an undemocratic government and said that there is nothing for working journalists in this proposed press council.
He said that no press has the right to defame any ordinary citizen and the main role of press council is to listen and act upon such complaints.
Chhapra said that any press council under the draconian laws will be worthless as government has absolute power over closing down any newspaper or rendering any journalist jobless by pressurising the publisher to fire him.
He said that government must also go to the court of law if they have any complaint against any publication.
He added that in the proposed press council there must be public representatives, working journalists and senior citizens also apart from nominees from APNS, CPNE and the government.
He informed about different laws and regulations through which government has been able to manipulate press in their favour while there is no incentive for ordinary worker of newspapers in any package deal between government and newspaper owners.
While speaking on the occasion former president of Karachi Press Club, Mazhar Abbas criticised the secret agenda of proposed Press Council, as nobody is aware of its actual draft.
However, with reports coming in that members of APNS and CPNE will be in it he said and added the main question is how will a publisher act against its own publication in case of any complaint.
He said that despite severe objections over unethical behaviour of certain publications, APNS and CPNE have never taken any action against any of its member.
He criticised the newspaper management in Pakistan for not doing anything for journalists and its workers while the non-professional owners are representing journalists at all forum.
Source: Business Recorder
Date:3/22/2002
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