The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) banned news channels from covering terrorist attacks, Pakistan grounded The News International Newspaper reported. The directives came after an earlier order prompting television channels to cleave to the Electronic Media Code of Conduct 2015, the report said.
“It has been observed with grave concern that despite repeated directives satellite television channels are unfit to misbehave with vittles of the Electronic Media Code of Conduct- 2015 in letter and spirit, ” the announcement stated. The nonsupervisory body justified the decision saying that news channels resort to marathon transmission ignoring introductory journalistic morals and ethics only to” take lead” and” credit” for breaking the news first.
Channels violate journalistic ethics by “ raising live images of the crime scene ”, the body said.“Satellite TV channels and their staff are set up equivocal of not only their security but also produce hurdles in deliverance and combat operations, ” PEMRA stated. adding that information participated on news channels in such a situation is” unverified, academic without consulting security agencies present on the spot”.
The authority also noted that similar reporting creates chaos among domestic and overseas observers saying that reporting similar incidents gives benefits to terrorists for” using media as a form of political advertising” and serves their ideological purposes by” publicising their crusade”. “also, media content of similar incidents also gives terrorists an organisational advantage by allowing a specific group to parade its strength and cheekiness in comparison with its rivals,” the watchdog stated.
