Media Professionals Stressed To Work for Public Interest Not Vested Interest,

Islamabad, 31 August 2024

Media professionals in a roundtable discussion on ‘Responsible Journalism in the Age of Social Media’ organized by the Institute of Regional Studies (IRS) has stressed on the need to work for public interest rather than vested interest.

Notable journalists participated in discussions amid the rapidly changing journalism landscape in present age of digitalization of news coverage and newsroom operations, information veracity and credibility which has become a challenging task for journalists.’

Among the participants included

Muntaser, Manager of Media Initiatives, AlJazeera Network; Belal, Coord Media Institute, AlJazeera Network; Osama bin Javed, AlJazeera Network Global Correspondent; Media Experts Anam; Hashim; Iftikhar Shirazi; Farrukh Pitafi; Rehman Azhar; Jawad Thehami; Nayyer Ali; Faisal Raza Khan; Saadullah Saeed Ahmed; Ali Jabir (APP); Sohail Majeed (The Asian Telegraph); Raja Faisal;

senior journalists; reporters; researchers; academics; and students.

President IRS, Ambassador Jauhar Saleem, in his opening remarks, appreciated the participants for their valuable insights on the matter and for sharing their knowledge in the realm of digital reporting.

He added that factual and authentic reporting has become critically important to maintain peace and stability in society and protect national interests.

Montaser Marai from Al Jazeera, said that information searching and sifting was a laborious and rewarding task whereas a journalist has to be objective and independent even reporting conflicts, rights issues, and corruption scams.

He added that the information flow has become faster than our pace to tackle misinformation on social media and that demanded the journalists to shun conventional practices and modernize their reporting skills to learn countering fake content and disinformation.

Osama bin Javed said that the media viewership transformation has evolved over the years but electronic media in Pakistan was still operating in 1990s era. There has been a deviation from news networks claiming high numbers amid suppression of news and mushrooming of broadcast media without any clear direction.

He added that media was not for breaking news but for verification of news, whereas the journalists would have to discover proper avenues amid the growing influence of digital media other than social media and re-envision public interest.

Iftikhar Shirazi, Bureau Chief of Dawn News, noted that social media was increasingly supplanting mainstream media and emphasized the importance of restoring credibility and self-accountability significantly from traditional newsroom practices, as social media has amplified the volume and speed of information, complicating fact-checking for accurate reporting.

Faisal Raza Khan highlighted that while the journalistic landscape has evolved, journalists and editorial staff have not adapted to these emerging trends and the new reporting environment.

August 31, 2024 / Conferences /Exhibition, Media

About the Author

M Ashraf Siddiqui

Editor and publisher Ashraf Siddiqui is a well known Qatar based journalist and a social worker. He has been in Arabian Gulf Peninsula over 4 decades and enjoys rich knowledge on Middle East affairs

Comments (2)

Rizwana khan – August 31, 2024 - 5:23 pm:

reply

Very nice man and command in his feild experiences a lot of published news papers
Rizwana khan – August 31, 2024 - 5:26 pm:

reply

Mashllah ashraf sb is nice person have good command in his feild and a lot off published news

Disclaimer: Asian Telegraph Qatar do not accept any responsibility for any comment posted on our website. Any comment does not necessarily represent the views of the Asian Telegraph Qatar, unless where specifically stated otherwise. We reserve the right to unpublish, or delete parts or the entirety of any comments that deemed to be non-conducive to the discussion.