Egypt, S.Arabia step up trade ties through coordination council talks    Egypt reviews progress on $200m World Bank-funded waste management hub    Egypt urges Israel to accept Gaza deal amid intensifying fighting    SCZONE showcases investment opportunities to eight Japanese companies    Egypt, ADIB explore strategic partnership in digital healthcare, investment    SCZONE, Tokyo Metropolitan Government sign MoU on green hydrogen cooperation    Egypt welcomes international efforts for peace in Ukraine    Al-Sisi, Macron reaffirm strategic partnership, coordinate on Gaza crisis    Contact Reports Strong 1H-2025 on Financing, Insurance Gains    Egypt, India's BDR Group in talks to establish biologics, cancer drug facility    AUC graduates first cohort of film industry business certificate    Egyptian pound down vs. US dollar at Monday's close – CBE    Egypt's FM, Palestinian PM visit Rafah crossing to review Gaza aid    Egypt prepares unified stance ahead of COP30 in Brazil    Egypt recovers collection of ancient artefacts from Netherlands    Egypt harvests 315,000 cubic metres of rainwater in Sinai as part of flash flood protection measures    Egypt, Namibia explore closer pharmaceutical cooperation    Fitch Ratings: ASEAN Islamic finance set to surpass $1t by 2026-end    Renowned Egyptian novelist Sonallah Ibrahim dies at 88    Egyptian, Ugandan Presidents open business forum to boost trade    Al-Sisi says any party thinking Egypt will neglect water rights is 'completely mistaken'    Egypt's Sisi warns against unilateral Nile measures, reaffirms Egypt's water security stance    Egypt's Sisi, Uganda's Museveni discuss boosting ties    Egypt, Huawei explore healthcare digital transformation cooperation    Egypt's Sisi, Sudan's Idris discuss strategic ties, stability    Egypt to inaugurate Grand Egyptian Museum on 1 November    Greco-Roman rock-cut tombs unearthed in Egypt's Aswan    Egypt reveals heritage e-training portal    Sisi launches new support initiative for families of war, terrorism victims    Egypt expands e-ticketing to 110 heritage sites, adds self-service kiosks at Saqqara    Palm Hills Squash Open debuts with 48 international stars, $250,000 prize pool    On Sport to broadcast Pan Arab Golf Championship for Juniors and Ladies in Egypt    Golf Festival in Cairo to mark Arab Golf Federation's 50th anniversary    Germany among EU's priciest labour markets – official data    Paris Olympic gold '24 medals hit record value    A minute of silence for Egyptian sports    Russia says it's in sync with US, China, Pakistan on Taliban    It's a bit frustrating to draw at home: Real Madrid keeper after Villarreal game    Shoukry reviews with Guterres Egypt's efforts to achieve SDGs, promote human rights    Sudan says countries must cooperate on vaccines    Johnson & Johnson: Second shot boosts antibodies and protection against COVID-19    Egypt to tax bloggers, YouTubers    Egypt's FM asserts importance of stability in Libya, holding elections as scheduled    We mustn't lose touch: Muller after Bayern win in Bundesliga    Egypt records 36 new deaths from Covid-19, highest since mid June    Egypt sells $3 bln US-dollar dominated eurobonds    Gamal Hanafy's ceramic exhibition at Gezira Arts Centre is a must go    Italian Institute Director Davide Scalmani presents activities of the Cairo Institute for ITALIANA.IT platform    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Media regulation borders on censorship in Pakistan
Published in Daily News Egypt on 05 - 08 - 2010

KARACHI, Pakistan: As the Pakistani media has become more influential, government efforts to curtail it have become more creative. In early July, the Senate Standing Committee on Information and Broadcasting proposed a new media code of conduct. The bill calls for a ban on graphic footage of terrorist attacks and forbids the media from airing the statements of violent extremists.
Although Farahnaz Ispahani, a spokesperson for Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari, has insisted that this bill respects media freedom, it includes a clause warning against broadcasting “anything defamatory against the organs of the State.” For this reason, the proposed bill has already been criticized as a new form of censorship.
This bill is a continuation of the state's uneasy relationship with media, which has seen both new freedoms and new restrictions in the past decade. Flipping through Pakistani television channels today, a viewer will catch glimpses of diverse and often contradictory programming: feisty political talk shows, news coverage of brutal terrorist attacks, satirical, anti-government songs and cartoons, music videos, religious programming, footage of scantily clad models at fashion shows and sports.
This variety is a legacy of former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf's decision to privatize and liberalize broadcast and electronic media. Since 2002, 92 private television channels (26 of which focus exclusively on news and current events) and over 130 FM radio stations have taken to the Pakistani airwaves. Thanks to this plurality, the Pakistani media is now more free and influential than ever before.
Since letting the media genie out of the bottle, Pakistani authorities have struggled to draft appropriate legislature that can ensure that broadcast content is appropriate, accurate and unbiased. The task has been made all the harder because the growth of the independent media has occurred alongside the rise of the extremist Pakistani Taliban. Owing to the increased frequency of terrorist attacks in Pakistan, particularly since 2007, discussion and legislature pertaining to media conduct has focused on the appropriate way to cover disturbing events such as suicide bombings.
This trend is a marked departure from the days of state-owned media. Before 2002, there were three television stations and one radio station in Pakistan, all government-run. Not surprisingly, the authorities closely controlled the content on these media outlets and focused on expressing a relatively conservative interpretation of Islamic values through the airwaves.
Concerns about Islamic propriety have been less prominent since the media was liberalized in 2002. Instead, media codes of conduct have increasingly focused on controlling the newly unbridled industry and limiting its impact on the country's political and security issues. In an effort to retain power and dictate the tenor of domestic media coverage, the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) — a body Musharraf established to monitor the airwaves and implement media legislation — issued codes of conduct for the media in 2002, 2007 and 2009. However, each of these codes have been heavily criticized by journalists and human rights activists for restricting press freedoms and promoting a culture of censorship.
Such criticism has been largely deserved. For example, the amended PEMRA Ordinance 2007 — which was promulgated in November 2007 after Musharraf announced emergency rule and banned private news channels in November that year — imposed unprecedented curbs on media freedom. They restricted live coverage, empowered the government to interrupt “inappropriate” broadcasts, and permitted government officials to seal media offices and seize privately owned equipment.
Moreover, broadcast journalists were banned from airing live coverage of violent events and prevented from expressing opinions that might undermine the "ideology … or integrity" of Pakistan, according to the PEMRA Ordinance 2007. Even more problematic were clauses that outlawed defaming the president, the military or state offices.
Despite the adoption of such rules, the media has proved to be a force for change. Media support for the Lawyers' Movement — which advocated for an independent judiciary and non-interference in judges' appointments — facilitated the reinstatement in 2009 of Supreme Court Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry, who had been deposed by Musharraf in 2007. Last year, a media campaign against a US aid package, popularly known as the Kerry-Lugar Bill, led to its wide condemnation by parliamentarians. And in February this year, Pakistani General Ashfaq Kayani stated that media support for the army's initiatives against militants was crucial for regional stability.
The fact is that as the Pakistani media industry matures and reaches ever-wider audiences, it will need robust and consistent standards. Media professionals acknowledged the need for coverage guidelines in November 2009 when eight major broadcasters themselves adopted a voluntary code of conduct regarding coverage of terrorist attacks and hostage situations.
This initiative demonstrated that media regulation in Pakistan can prove effective, but only if it is drafted in conjunction with industry stakeholders and civil society. Future laws for Pakistani media should reflect this model — rather than top-down control.
Huma Yusuf is a freelance journalist in Karachi, Pakistan. This article was written for the Common Ground News Service (CGNews), www.commongroundnews.org.


Clic here to read the story from its source.