Marvi stresses media role in building anti-terrorism narrative

21 Jan, 2015

ISLAMABAD: Chairperson National Assembly's Standing Committee on Information, Broadcasting and National Heritage Marvi Memon, MNA said on Wednesday that Pakistan was in the middle of war against terrorism and media role has become more important in building a unified narrative against the enemy.

Addressing at the launch of Report and Recommendations of Media Commission appointed by Supreme Court of Pakistan, she said that we as a nation owe to our children and the next generation to highlight the national discourse to eliminate terrorism. She said that there was need to build a counter-narrative against the narrative of the terrorists.

Appreciating the efforts of the media commission, she said that they provide good guidance to the government and media houses, and implementation of these recommendations would make a difference.

She said that NA standing committee has forwarded list of media laws to a group of renowned legal experts who will soon give their recommendations which would be made public.

Pakistani media is entering into a new era and it should know all the prerequisites of this time to effectively cope with the challenges, she added.

She informed that National Assembly's standing committee on Information and Broadcasting has endorsed the 90 to 95 percent recommendations of the report of Media Commission which calls for radical reforms needed in the media industry.

Ministry of Information has also worked on the report but implementation would require effort of all the stakeholders, she further said.

Marvi said that in the current situation misinformation, disinformation and unverified information makes its way in the electronic and print media. She said that social media was main source of spreading disinformation and its information also reaches mainstream media.

Last Friday, Cyber Crime Bill has been tabled in the National Assembly to introduce regulations for social media.

She said that in the current situation there was need to constitute a consultative body to deal with the threats to media and build a counter narrative.

Former Senator Javed Jabbar, Member Media Commission, Mazhar Arif, Executive Director Society for Alternative Media and Research, Philipp Kauppert, Resident Director FES Pakistan and others also spoke on the occasion.

Copyright APP (Associated Press of Pakistan), 2015

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