ISLAMABAD - The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority on Thursday issued a warning to various satellite TV channels to comply with Code of Conduct of the Election Commission of Pakistan and PEMRA for media and refrain from airing derogatory and malicious content against judiciary and armed forces as well as political leadership.
PEMRA’s warning to different TV channels said that the Authority had issued an advice dated June 20, 2018 with regard to media ethics for private broadcast media for covering political activities in the country in the wake of upcoming General Elections 2018. Besides, it said it is indeed a national obligation of all the citizens, institutions and organisations as well as media houses to strengthen the democratic norms, values, traditions and institutions to facilitate free, fair and transparent elections. It further said that it has been observed with grave concern that despite issuing an advice and verbal disclosure with all the licensees no significant compliance is witnessed on the television screens. It said that satellite TV channels are persistently airing live marathon transmissions/ press conferences by political leadership containing defamatory and derogatory content targeting various state institutions specifically judiciary and armed forces of Pakistan. It said that such malicious and indecent content is going on air without editing which substantiates weak editorial control of satellite TV channel licenses, which are running affairs, abysmally.
It warned that all the licenses should be mindful of the fact that airing of such content is in violation of PEMRA laws including Electronic Media Code of Conduct 2015 and Code of Conduct of Media for the General Elections 2018 issued by ECP.
It further said: “ All satellite TV licenses/channels are therefore, warned to strictly comply with the provisions of the code of conduct issued by PEMRA and ECP and ensure that no hateful, defamatory, malicious and derogatory content/speech/ press conference/ paid political and advertisement aired, broadcast or televised in any manner, live or recoded, which may likely underlined the sanctity of the judiciary, armed forces and Pakistan, other institutions, individuals, political parties, and the electoral process. In case of any violation of the code of conduct as well as PEMRA Ordinance and Rules by any other licenses, strict action shall be initiated by the Authority without any notice of further opportunity of hearing.”
