KARACHI: Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting, Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan on Monday said that establishment of a media academy was need of the hour for capacity building of media persons.

Speaking at the Council of Pakistan Newspapers Editors (CPNE) Meet the Editor, here she said that the media academy was not only need of the media industry but it also had become need for the society because training of the media persons was imperative to polish their professional skills and capabilities so as to keep the social fabric intact.

Referring to her meeting with the ambassadors of China and Japan, Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan said they intend to cooperate with Pakistan to impart training to the people in terms of technology and skills.

Speaking about her earlier visit to the Karachi Press Club, she said that the workers suffer due to negative perception and misunderstanding between employees and employers.

She was of the view that the famous media organizations in the world did not face such type of problems which were being confronted in the media industry in Pakistan because no serious attention was paid to those issues in the past.

Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan said that the editors were government's eyes and ears.

She said that the Interim Wage Board Award had already been announced and all journalists organizations were taken on-board.

She also announced to nominate two focal persons on behalf of Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and called upon the editors' body to nominate two focal persons for them to present their suggestions with regard to demands of the CPNE.

She noted that all demands of CPNE were important, which related to their rights.

Dr Firdous assured her full cooperation to the editors to resolve their genuine problems and said that they would be supported in protection of their justified rights.

She said that if departments like National Accountability Bureau (NAB)

and Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) took actions in accordance with their laws and rules, it was manifestation that these departments were independent.