SC names media accountability commission

 JournalismPakistan.com |  Published 12 years ago

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Tuesday named retired judge Nasir Aslam Zahid and former Information Minister Javed Jabbar as members of a commission to decide terms of reference for the media, reports said.

The appointments come following a media accountability petition filed by senior journalists Absar Alam and Hamid Mir in July last year.

Reports say the commission is mandated to investigate corruption allegations against journalists; inquire the source of income of television channel owners, advertising agencies and anchorpersons; give recommendations on content regulation and develop a code of conduct for the media.

The media accountability commission will also reportedly announce terms regarding the misuse of secret funds by as many as 27 ministries, including the information ministry.

According to the petition, these institutions allegedly used an amount of Rs5 billion under the head of secret funds to manipulate the media.