Senate committee expresses displeasure over media code of conduct

 JournalismPakistan.com |  Published: 3 September 2015

The Senate Standing Committee on Information and Broadcasting has voiced its displeasure regarding the new media code of conduct. The committee questioned the information ministry's failure to consider its previously prepared draft.

Summary

ISLAMABAD: The Senate Standing Committee on Information and Broadcasting Wednesday expressed displeasure over the new code of conduct for electronic media and asked the information ministry why the draft it prepared was not taken into consideration. Pakistan Today reported that the committee, headed by Senator Kamil Ali Agha, which met at the Parliament House and directed the Information Ministry to inform the Supreme Court about facts related to the media code announced by the government. The Senate body was told that the code of conduct was issued and approved by the federal government and was prepared by a committee set up by the prime minister.The committee insisted that its draft, which was prepared after consultation with all stakeholders, should have been considered and adopted, the paper reported. The committee criticized PEMRA for not exercising its authority to regulate TV channels and their content and for not ensuring implementation of rules and regulations.

KEY POINTS:

• Senate committee met to discuss media code of conduct.
• Committee criticized the information ministry for oversight.
• PEMRA was criticized for not regulating TV channels effectively.
• The committee's draft was ignored despite stakeholder consultations.
• Government's approved code was issued without committee's input.