ISLAMABAD, Apr 12 (APP): Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb on Wednesday said that enforcement of ethics, especially during the coverage of acts of terrorism, was a global code as well as part of the national law.
Using her twitter handle, she said some concerns had been expressed regarding a recent order issued by Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) about coverage ethics of violent scenes involving acts of terrorism and their aftermath.
“The order prohibits broadcasting gory scenes, dead bodies, wreckage, and live images from the spot only to avoid spreading fear and panic among the masses, which is always the real aim and design of the terrorists,” she maintained.
The minister said that this boundary was set all over the world and every responsible media body and organization adheres to them across the board, without exception. “Live coverage of terrorism incidents, and spots amplifies terrorism impact and divulges sensitive post-operation information to the miscreants”, she remarked.
“We have always upheld the right to free speech as a sacred cause and fought against attempts to curtail this right.
We are committed to this principle,” she said.
However, she stressed that responsible journalism seeks to follow ethics during the coverage of terrorism. This she said “we owe(as a responsibility) to the victims of terrorism”.
