ISLAMABAD: Media professionals have strongly believed that amid the rapidly changing journalism landscape, information veracity and credibility have become a challenging task for journalists.
They were expressing views in a roundtable discussion on ‘Responsible Journalism in the Age of Social Media’ organized by the Institute of Regional Studies (IRS) here on Thursday. They said journalists must work for public interests rather than vested interests.
The discussion featured notable journalists from Al-Jazeera including Muntaser, Manager of Media Initiatives, Belal, Coord Media Institute, Osama, Global Correspondent, Anam, Faras, and Hashim, Media Experts.
From the Pakistani side, Farrukh Pitafi, Iftikhar Shirazi, Jawad Thehami, Rehman Azhar, Nayyer Ali, Faisal Raza Khan, Saadullah Saeed Ahmed and Raja Faisal participated in the discussion.
Speaking on the occasion, the guest Speaker, Montaser Marai from Al Jazeera, said that information searching and sifting was a laborious task whereas a journalist has to be objective and independent even reporting conflicts, corruption scams and rights issues.
He said that the information flow has become faster than our pace to tackle misinformation on social media. He noted that journalists should shun conventional practices and modernize their reporting skills to counter fake content.
President IRS, Ambassador Jauhar Saleem, in his remarks, praised the international and national journalists for their valuable insights on the matter and for sharing their knowledge in the realm of digital reporting. He said that factual and authentic reporting has become critically important to maintain peace and stability in society and safeguard national interests.
Another guest speaker, Osama Javed from Al-Jazeera, said that the media viewership transformation has evolved over the years but electronic media in Pakistan was still using old methods. He added that media was not for breaking news but for verification of news.
Iftikhar Shirazi, Bureau Chief of Dawn News, expressed his views said that social media was increasingly supplanting mainstream media and stressed the importance of restoring credibility and self-accountability in the latter. Nayyer Ali, Secretary of the National Press Club, highlighted the necessity of educating the public on managing social media before implementing laws.
Senior Analyst and Anchor at PTV, Farrukh Khan Pitafi said that media coverage has moved significantly from traditional newsroom practices. Faisal Raza Khan added that while the journalistic landscape has evolved, journalists and editorial staff have not adapted to new trends and reporting environments.
A large number of senior journalists, reporters, researchers, academics, and students attended the event.
