ISLAMABAD: Participants of an interactive dialogue have agreed that media should be independent to act as a watchdog on other state institutions including legislature and judiciary to ensure good governance.

The dialogue with media practitioner and stakeholders on “freedom of press and governance” was organised by Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) here on Thursday.

Addressing the gathering, former PFUJ secretary-general Mazhar Abbas said governance and media were interlinked. He said the country saw towering names like Ahmad Ali Khan, Altaf Hussain and A.T. Chaudhry as editors.

Now the thrust of the owner is to do away with the institution of editor, and commercialism dominates editorial policy. He said marketing people play the role of editors in media.

Mr Abbas said the young generation might not render sacrifices offered by their seniors for the freedom of press and said today an anchorperson with two-month experience could launch tirade against the president with impunity which was not even thinkable 20 years ago.

National Press Club President Afzal Butt said if a newspaper published a story against a minister or president, it was thought that there was press freedom but if a land grabber gave a one-page advertisement to a paper, then nothing could be published against him.

He said advertisers were acting as reporters, editors and even owners of media outfits. He said this was a question of integrity and image of journalists.

He asked for legislation giving powers to media unions and press clubs to check malpractices in journalism.
Source: Dawn
Date:5/8/2010