ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Qamar Zaman Kaira said on Friday the need of the hour was to promote media democracy in the country where media should work to provide intellectual feedback to the government’s policies to help improve its working.
According to a press release, the Minister was addressing the certificate distribution ceremony of the 3rd National Media Workshop on “Media as an element of National Power” at National Defence University (NDU) here. Outlining the evolution of media from the days of Pakistan movement to the present day, Kaira said the media has become a very important organ of the state. He said a free media is vital for working of any democracy and survival of democratic values.
The Minister said the role of media is dependent upon the structure and shape of the state where it should complement its other pillars for growth of the society in a satisfactory manner.
He said journalists have always struggled for democracy and freedom of speech in the country for which they deserve praise. But, in few cases, the business interests of the media houses clashed with the journalistic values, which created a clash of interests, which eventually led to start of a debate on the authoritative behaviour of such media groups, he added.
He said, “this is a very healthy sign and shows that the media is very dynamic, democratic and growing”. Assuming that one’s word is final, is reflective of authoritarian mindset, which should be discouraged by open debate with tolerance, he added.
But, Kaira said, some segments of media, like some politicians, are not happy with democratic values in media and the country and still feel nostalgic about authoritarian regimes of the past. This difference of opinion is the true beauty of a democratic system where people are free to express whatever they feel and participate in a healthy and constructive debate, he added.
The Minister said a healthy debate can only be made if both the sides show tolerance towards one another’s point of view with open minds and hearts. He said majority of the mediamen are unbiased and make constructive criticism, but a small section of media is constantly involved in baseless mud-slinging on the government using foul language. However; the government has never exercised any coercive option against it, he added.
He said, “we believe in dialogue and that is the reason we only respond by expressing our point of view and counter-argument through media”. But, he said, “they don’t want us to put forward our counter-argument, all in the name of media freedom. How can they deny us of our right of expression? If media can judge us, we too have the right to judge them”, he added.
The Minister said that we believe in complete media freedom, but with responsibility. He said that media should not be content with its status of a pillar of state but should also strive to become a responsible and democratic one. It should support the cause of minorities and unsung segments of the society by giving them proportionate coverage, he said. “We should shift from media warfare to media welfare. Media should work towards conflict resolution instead of conflict expansion”, Kaira added. Even in this age of race for breaking news, media should not go for reporting only but should report with responsibility, he said.
He said “we have asked non-partisan people to guide us in making media policies so as to look after the interests of all the stakeholders because we don’t want to force any policy”. The Minister said the government believes in consensus and collective wisdom for resolution of issues and this is why it strived to achieve consensus on all the issues faced by the country. In this regard he mentioned development of consensus on War on Terror, 18th Amendment, NFC award, Aghaz-e-Haqooq-e-Balochistan and other matters.
“We have to differentiate between crises and issues. We have successfully diffused most of the crises and are working to resolve the rest with consensus as it is the best way forward to resolve the same”, he said. At the end of his speech, the Minister answered open and frank questions put forward by the participating journalists of the workshop, who belonged to different media organisations from across the country. The Minister also distributed certificates among the participants of the workshop.
Source: Business Recorder
Date:5/29/2010
