CARACHI: In the first two months of the new year, Pakistan had to deal with two terrifying terrorist attacks. Just as the nation was coming to terms with the explosion of a mosque bomb in Peshawar that killed over 60 people, most of them policemen, we were attacked again. This time the attack targeted the police headquarters in Karachi. For three hours, the harrowing reality of the attack on police headquarters in Karachi was filmed in real time. From, PEMRA took strict measures to ban television coverage of the terrorist attacks.
The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) issued a notice which read: “It has been observed with grave concern that despite repeated directives, satellite television channels are unable to comply with the provisions of the Electronic Media Code of Conduct-2015 in letter and spirit. He went on to note that, as with the coverage of the attack on the police headquarters in Karachi, “satellite TV stations and their staff are seen as ambivalent not only for their safety but also create obstacles in rescue and combat operations”.
The notice pointed out that in order to achieve higher ratings and be the first channel to cover the story, the channels were violating journalistic ethics by “broadcasting live footage from the scene of the crime”. PEMRA also noted that the channels were making “unverified, speculative reports without consulting the security agencies present on site”, which in turn caused widespread panic, “These reports therefore create unwarranted panic and chaos among viewers. , not only in the country. but also Pakistanis living abroad.
The notice issued by PEMRA also warned news channels of the dire consequences of their irresponsible reporting. He claimed that he allowed terrorists “to use the media as a form of political advertising” and thus “to publicize their campaign”.
