Govt asked to ensure freedom of press in Fata

The participants of a workshop on Saturday urged the government to take appropriate measures to ensure freedom of press in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata).The daylong workshop titled “safety in journalism and rights monitoring training” was organised by Intermedia Pakistan, an NGO, in collaboration with United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) at Bajaur Press Club.
Main objectives of the workshop were to educate the journalists working in the conflict zone about their safety and to minimise the threats being faced by reporters during their professional duties.
The trainers informed the journalists about how to apply basic techniques regarding their safety and protection.
They told tribal journalists to keep in mind the basic principal of safety and journalistic ethics during reporting because the tribal areas are the most dangerous place for media persons.
“The journalists in the tribal area were facing a lot of threats and challenges and only following the journalistic ethics could protect their lives,” they said.
The speakers highlighted the basic rights of journalists granted in the constitution and urged them to know their basic rights. They said every journalist must monitor the violation of their professional rights.The journalists were asked to keep close relation with the national and international media associations to help resolve problems faced by them during discharge of their professional duties.

Local journalists said reporters in tribal area were the back bone of international and national media organisations but none of the media houses in the country had organised a training workshop for the tribal journalists.