KARACHI: Local and foreign journalists while speaking during the three-day International Media Conference, jointly organised by IFJ, PFUJ and KUJ, called for fair reporting to bring peace and justice at the international level.

The conference, which started on Friday at a local hotel, concluded on Sunday. Journalists from 15 countries representing International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and other journalist unions attended the event.

The declaration issued after the event demanded of the Government of Pakistan to respect and implement all international instruments for the protection of journalists.

The declaration further called upon authorities to establish the right of the families of the killed journalists for compensation, directly or through media outlets, and the setting up of a solidarity fund for the victims.

Speakers during the sessions of the conference said that media organisations have moral responsibility to ensure safety of their journalists including provision of medical care and life insurance.

The declaration noted that media editors have a responsibility to systematically publicise crimes against journalists, investigate them as thoroughly as possible and expose any failure on part of the government and justice system to make the perpetrators accountable for their crimes.

The declaration was signed by Anthony Bellanger, Deputy Gen Secretary, on behalf of PFUJ President, Jim Boumelha, Rana Muhammad Azeem, President PFUJ and Muhammad Amin Yousuf, Secretary General, PFUJ. The participants thanked Governor Sindh Dr Ishrat-uI-Ebad Khan for his efforts to help organise the Conference.

Sabina Inderjeet, an Indian journalist, spoke on democratic media in India and Pakistan and said that there was press freedom in India and tremendous growth has been witnessed in its media industry. Except the emergency of 1975-77, there is no state censorship. It goes without saying that thanks to vibrant media, India is a vibrant democracy.

William Oloo, President Kenya Correspondent Association (KCA), spoke on embedded journalism, saying it is not a good reporting form and sounds more like a travelogue because the authorities posted in war zones do not allow proper access to news. Thus, it becomes a PR exercise, he said adding that embedded journalism is not true journalism and accuracy is often compromised. “As a matter of fact, truth becomes a big issue and there are increasing questions on the objectivity of embedded journalists and media,” he said.

Speaking on the rise of social media, Martin O’Hanlon, President CWAISCA Canada, said that traditional media plays a better role in providing factual, unbiased, ethical coverage. He said that it was a challenge for traditional media companies to retain readership and to make money from online products.

About 72 percent of journalists consider the social media to be important to the performance of their daily work, he added.

During the session, it was observed that about 56 percent of journalists said that they were no longer able to perform their duties without help form social media. Similarly, 68 percent of journalists believe that journalism can no longer operate without the social media.

Sameera Aziz, a journalist and film-maker from Saudi Arabia, spoke on the gender dimensions of media. She highlighted several issues which female journalists face. She said that female representation on top-level position across media organizations in different countries is insufficient. She said that gender studies should me made part of the curricula in order to sensitise people about gender issues.

Veteran journalist, Qammar Abbas Jafri spoke on the subject, ‘beyond geographical divide: media as a connecting tool.’ Speaking on the occasion, former President PFJU Pervez Shaukat laid emphasis on the unity of the journalist community.

Business Recorder

Journalists, editors and media representatives from Pakistan, international and regional organizations met at the International Media Conference held in Karachi which was organised by the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) and the Karachi Union of Journalists (KUJ), to commemorate the World Press Freedom Day.

Journalists from 15 countries representing International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and other journalist unions took part and helped finalise the declaration. The conference was also attended by Federal Executive Council (FEC) members and editors and journalists from different newspapers.

They delegates recalled that there was a high number of violations against journalists in Pakistan, in particular the killing of journalists, which has reached over 100 in the last decade. Pakistan has been identified as one of the most dangerous places for journalists in the world.

The demanded that instruments on the protection of journalists be implemented within national laws and that the justice system be overhauled to end impunity.

The declaration urged the authorities to establish rights for families of killed journalists for compensation, directly or through media institutions, and the setting up of a solidarity fund for the victims.

Media organisations, they said, have a duty of care and moral responsibility for the safety of all their journalists, in particular news gatherers, staff or freelancers, to provide hostile-environment safety training and equipment, medical care and life insurance.

The declaration also noted that media editors have a responsibility to systematically publicise crimes against journalists, investigate them as thoroughly as possible and expose any failure of government to make the perpetrators account for their crimes.

In the declaration, primacy of quality training and education for journalists, was acknowledged.

Impunity

It was declared that, in view of journalists being killed every year while carrying out their jobs, most of those incidents of violence remain uninvestigated and unpunished, and that urgent action is required by authorities to put an end to them.

Recommendations

Place the issue of the safety and protection of journalists, at every opportunity, on the agenda of national, regional and international institutions; To work with the IFJ at international level, in particular through the relevant structures of UNESCO, the United Nations and the Human Rights monitoring mechanisms in the United Nations system; To seek the help of the IFJ’s expertise to establish detailed database of all the killed journalists with the view to take legal action whenever possible; Develop amongst its unions and members a culture of being responsible for their own safety and a duty of care towards each other; Continue monitoring the safety of journalists .

Finally, the participants expressed their appreciation and thanks to the Governor of Sindh, Dr Ishrat Ul Ebad Khan, for his efforts to help organise the Karachi International Media Conference.

Express Tribune

“The problems faced by journalists today are the same as they were 68 years ago and they will remain, until and unless confronted wilfully,” said TV anchor Mubashir Luqman. He was speaking at a session, titled Freedom of Expression, on the first day of the International Media Conference.

The two-day conference, organised by the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), started on Saturday at the Pearl Continental Hotel and aims to question the media’s credibility and practices in today’s global politics.

“The notion that media is the fourth pillar of the state is nostalgic,” Lucman asserted. “If it were, it would have a stake in making the policies.”

He delivered a list of hindrances that journalists face while working in different parts of the country. “In Karachi, one cannot objectively report without being confronted with bullets or abuses,” he said. Speaking about the Punjab, he said there was a severe sectarian issue in the province. “Whenever I did a story on the Shia killings in Quetta, I received subtle threats from Malik Ishaq, the leader of a banned militant organisation.” With regard to the violence-prone parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Fata and Balochistan, Luqman lamented that most of these areas were no-go zones. “You cannot report about the militants or the military.”

A number of working journalists, including Mazhar Abbas, Salman Ghani and Maria Memon attended, hosted and moderated the hours-long sessions discussing various issues. The programme was also attended by representatives of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ).

IFJ president Jim Boumelha, in his presentation, sought protection for journalists. “In two-thirds of the cases, the killers were identified,” he said, adding that murder was considered an easy tool to eliminate journalists and silence their voice. Jim was of the opinion that journalists enjoyed same rights as civilians but they needed more protection because they worked in conflict zones.

Speaking on the occasion, PFUJ president Rana Muhammad Azeem gave some numbers of journalists’ casualties. “135 journalists have been killed, over 100 tortured after being kidnapped, while 1,372 were injured on duty.” He, however, did not give the timeline of the data.

Express Tribune