PEMRA issues notices to 4 TV channels

[Lahore_Real_Estate]

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) on Friday issued notices to Geo News, Dawn News, News One and Dunya News for being irresponsible and provoking anti-national sentiments among viewers by sensitising events unnecessarily.

According to a PEMRA press release, some of the talk shows and programmes of these channels were observed in violation of Section 20 of PEMRA Ordinance 2002 read with Rule 15 of PEMRA Rules 2009 and clause (1) (d) (g) (h) of Code of Conduct set out in the Schedule-B of PEMRA Rules 2009.

After the PNS Mehran tragedy, it was being observed that some news channels were not realising their journalistic responsibility and ethics towards society, institutions and the country. Some news channels even went overboard in maligning the security agencies, armed forces and state institutions.

For instance, Geo News televised interview of an alleged eyewitness of PNS Mehran attack and created undue sensation and hype without even bothering to verify the facts and realising the grave repercussions that such irresponsible journalism could have on the country. The eyewitness was later proved fake.

“No responsible media anywhere in the world undermines the repute, respect sovereignty or integrity of its nation, institutions or its forces or pass aspersions against them,” the press release read, adding, “Instead, media in the world safeguard their national and strategic interests. The Pakistani media has been given enormous freedom of expression and speech but there must be some line drawn between desirable and undesirable by media at their own.”