Friday, April 27, 2012

PEMRA ORDINANCE

PEMRA (Pakistan Electronic Media Authority) established an ordinance in 2002, which is known as PEMRA ORDINANCE was implemented to monitor and facilitate private channels in Pakistan. It was important to regulate all private channels to improve the standard of educations, news, current affairs, entertainment, and science and technologies sectors. PEMRA does ensure about accountability, transparency and good governance by optimizing the free flow of information.

PEMRA doesn’t not only monitor electronic media but it also monitors FM RADIO, SATELITE TV, MMDS (Multichannel multipoint distribution service (MMDS) also known as wireless cable (wireless telecommunications technology) and many others.

PEMRA ORDINANCE 2002

In PEMRA ordinance 2002 PEMRA made some rules for all channels and services provider that how they should run their business and what will be the major responsibility of these channels PEMRA also set some rules which must be followed when channels run their content and flow chart. PEMRA also established some terms in their ordinance, which were mandatory to follow. Some of them are given below.

1-      Respects the sovereignty, security and integrity of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.

2-      Respect the national, cultural, social and religious values and the principles of public policy as enshrined in the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan;

3-      Ensure that programmers and advertisements do not encourage violence, terrorism, racial, ethnic or religious discrimination, sectarianism, extremism, militancy or hatred;

4-      Broadcast or distribute programmers in the public interest specified by the Federal Government or the Authority in the manner indicated by the Government or, as the case may be, the Authority, provided that the duration of such mandatory programmers do not exceed ten per cent of the total duration of broadcast or operation by a station in twenty-four hours except if, by its own volition, a station chooses to broadcast or distribute such content for a longer duration;

5-      Comply with the codes of programmers and advertisements approved by the Authority;

6-      Not broadcast or distribute any programmed or advertisement in violation of copyright or other property right;

After reviewing all these terms, do we think our news channels, entertainment channels and radio channels are following a single rule properly.

What are the reasons and who is behind all this nonsense? We don’t know but the only question is why PEMRA doesn’t take any action against such acts? Why Pakistani government is still quiet? Why this nonsense always makes us a foo? What is the objective and what will be the results?

Now I would say that the responsibility of bad image of Pakistani around the world is not only because of Media, but also because of the Government of Pakistan and PEMRA who is the regulating authority and controller of this nonsense.

Journalism VS Activism


Journalism VS Activism


Journalism is not a business but it is an important responsibility. Journalists in the form of reporters gather reports of events at the local, national and international levels. Reporter gathers information through resources, interviews and research. 

Journalists do not only find facts, but they also create an analysis of the news they cover which include news and speeches by notable people. In broadcast, freshly hired journalists also do pre-interviews and research for senior journalists. 

Journalists are mostly busy in finding breaking news, features stories, and enterprise or investigative stories but on the other hand, they also write editorial, columns reviews, and online journalism; a part of journalism which has spread with the advent of digital communication.

Online journalism is also growing day by day nowadays, as journalists mostly communicate with blogs and discussion boards for online media, for it is more powerful and time efficient, where journalists can express public views and highlight facts very easily.

Activists arise mostly from journalism. Activists are those who give their viewpoint on reporting, interviewing, research, columns & online journalism; they also cover hard news but some people say that activists are a paranoid form of journalism because activists always give their viewpoint on each news; and most of the time their point of view becomes biased and terrified. Activists gain popularity among general public because they always say what people want to hear. Activists rule in the mind of the general public.