Amendment to be made in Protection of Journalists Bill to include Photo and Video Journalists: Fawad

Fauzia Kulsoom Rana, the Head of Pakistan Women Journalists Association and former Joint Secretary of NPC, in a meeting with Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry along with a five-member delegation of video journalists.

On the occasion, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry was assured that photo and video journalists and producers of electronic media working in news and current affairs are considered as journalists all over the world. The Federal Minister said that the government was urgently amending the Protection of Journalists and Media Professionals Bill 2021 on emergency basis to re-introduce them in the category of journalists.

Fauzia Rana said that this is the age of electronic media and information technology and journalism is heavily dependent on digital devices so the future belongs to digital journalism.

Fauzia Rana said that those influential political leaders like PML-N leaders Mariyam Nawaz and Pervez Rashid, who are using journalists as tools for their political agenda and on the other hand hurting their self esteem should be held accountable. The alleged audio leaks are reprehensible, which has caused a wave of concern among working journalists, she added. The WJA chief added that if Maryam Nawaz wanted to run the Pakistani media in the style of PML-N’s media cell with the intention of carrying out her anti-state rhetoric, it was now impossible.

She said that those who were chanting mantras of freedom of journalism were themselves the biggest weapons to stifle the press and media. She said that it was time to end the monopoly of the group with vested interests, which is occupying high positions in the NPC by using corruption and blackmail as their tools.

The delegation also briefed the Information Minister about the difficult conditions under which cameramen perform their duties. Minister for Information and Broadcasting FawadChaudhry assured of amendments in the Protection of Journalists and Media Professionals Bill 2021 besides providing health card facility to journalists.

FauziaKulsoomRana said that photojournalists, video journalists and producers of news and current affairs departments of various media houses are playing a key role in the media and no group can usurp their rights.

Source: Pakobserver