JournalismPakistan.com
April 05, 2019

KARACHI - Ninety-three journalists and media students on Friday received their course certificates from the Centre for Excellence in Journalism (CEJ) for participating in reporting and editing classes and qualifying in the standardized test.

The participants completed their training and passed the standardized test of Basics of News Reporting and Editing, both in English and Urdu, respectively. 

The trainers of these courses – Nizamuddin Siddiqui and Prof. Tauseef Ahmad Khan – attended the ceremony.

Kamal Siddiqi, Director of CEJ, said this initiative was taken to bring some standardization in the profession. "In Pakistan, anyone can become a journalist regardless of their educational qualifications and their work. We need to introduce standards in the industry," he told the audience. He informed that the British High Commission had supported this initiative.

The event started with a panel discussion on free speech, hate speech and regulation. The panelists included Lahore-based lawyer Waqas Mir, and journalist Ramsha Jahangir. Digital rights activist Fariha Aziz was the moderator.

The panelists spoke at length about the kind of environment prevalent in Pakistan right now with regards to freedom of speech and the legal rights of the citizens.  They also discussed the government’s efforts to crack down on Twitter content, Facebook and Google.  

They also discussed the absence of dialogue about counter-speech. “As citizens, lawyers and media houses, we should talk about the importance of counter-speech. We as citizens should realize that solutions can be achieved through talks and debates and we shouldn’t turn our faces to the problems. Unless we get involved in the push back, we won’t be able to bring about positive change,” said Waqas Mir. - A CEJ media release