Shah wants government to table code of conduct for media in Parliament

 JournalismPakistan.com |  Published: 28 November 2014

Syed Khursheed Shah has called for a media code of conduct to be tabled in Parliament. He emphasizes that while media freedom is essential, it must be responsible and not lead to unfounded propaganda against politicians.

Summary

ISLAMABAD: Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly, Syed Khursheed Shah Friday urged the government to bring the code of conduct for media to the Parliament.

In an informal chat with reporters, he said freedom of the media is vital for democracy but that doesn’t mean the media houses should unleash baseless propaganda campaigns against politicians. “A code of conduct for the media is need of the hour to keep a check on it,” he said.

Shah said the government should table a code of conduct in the Parliament for discussion and make it binding on all media houses to adhere to it, if passed unanimously.

“If the government fails to introduce the code of conduct in the Parliament, then PPP would table it soon for discussion,” he said.

He, however, said his party fully believes in the freedom of speech and freedom of expression but “unbridled freedom to media can be injurious to itself and working journalists.”

KEY POINTS:

• Syed Khursheed Shah wants a code of conduct for media.
• He stresses the importance of responsible journalism.
• A code should be binding for all media houses if approved.
• The PPP will table the code if the government fails to do so.
• Freedom of speech must be balanced with accountability.