Nowadays the most significant news is about the barbaric rape of a minor girl after being abducted from outside her house. This incident was followed by half a dozen similar cases, all reported widely in media, especially on TV channels. In Pakistan families watch TV together and repetition of such news provokes them to ask questions, which sometimes are very hard for the parents to explain to the young children.
If all channels repeat such types of news in regular intervals or make it breaking news, it is natural that children, especially minor girls, will ask about the incident. I request the concerned authorities and channels that such news should not be repeated too often, instead it should be relayed in a news bulletins. NEPRA should announce a policy to address this issue and our TV channel authorities should also understand the norms of our society and focus on spreading awareness about solutions instead of just highlighting such issues. In such cases media can work responsibly to create awareness by suggesting parents to tell their children to avoid meeting unknown people, and report any strange behavior and actions even by people they know. This responsible behavior by our media will help to minimize such crimes.
NAZEER HUSSAIN,
Karachi, September 17.