PEMRA Notifies Channels Against Carping Remarks on NAB
After PEMRA issued a notification to TV channels to avoid broadcasting criticism about NAB, journalists call out a protest on Twitter
Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) issued a notification and advised television channels to “tighten their editorial oversight” before broadcasting “highly unsubstantiated, judgmental, and unipolar remarks” about National Accountability Bureau (NAB).
According to the notification, the channels have aired highly unsubstantiated remarks without getting the comment from bureau officials.
Airing such unsubstantiated and unipolar remarks is a vioaliton of Supreme Court’s (SC’s) orders regarding the prohibition of discussion on sub-judice and under trail cases.
Furthermore, PEMRA stressed that continuous reminders, advice, warnings, and notices have been shared with media personalities at several training sessions to avoid running judgmental remarks against NAB.
PEMRA also stated that Pakistani channels should “refrain from voicing personal biases/opinion in any news report or talk show and moderate the programs in a fair, balanced, objective, and impartial manner.”
Once again the channels are suggested to review their content of programs and talk shows through their respective in-house monitoring committees to minimize the future consequences from PEMRA.
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News anchor Gharidah Farooqi wrote NAB, through PEMRA, attempted to teach journalism to journalists and to portray itselft as a holy cow.
نیب کی پیمرا کے ذریعے مقدس گائے بننے اور صحافیوں کو صحافت سکھانے کی کوشش۔۔۔ pic.twitter.com/eozUgoSsMr
— Gharidah Farooqi (@GFarooqi) March 24, 2021
Moreover, Pakistani journalist-analyst Mazhar Abbas said such an act by PEMRA to refrain television channels from commenting on NAB is a direct attack on freedom of the Press.
PEMRA’s latest notification asking tv channels to refrain from maligning NAB is a direct attack on freedom of the Press.
— Mazhar Abbas (@MazharAbbasGEO) March 25, 2021
Interestingly, PEMRA wants media outlets to instill among the masses that the petroleum prices were being increased in connection with a spike in its international price while the rates of the commodity in Pakistan were still lower than many other counties in the South Asian region.
Recently, PEMRA has been criticized for imposing a ban on a drama serial titled Dil Na Umeed Toh Nahi for airing controversial and indecent content against the censorship code.
