Islamabad - Speakers at a conference Friday said that media’s role is vital to bring about a positive change in the society and help improve the living standards of people.

Allama Iqbal Open University organised a media conference, highlighting responsibilities of journalists in the post-modern era.

Besides others, renowned columnists Sajjad Mir, Khurshid Nadeem and Vice Chancellor Prof. Dr Shahid Siddiqui also addressed the conference.

They said that media should address the ground realities keeping in view the cultural and social needs of the society.

They called for having strong partnership and regular interaction between the media and the academia to address the future challenges, particularly in the education sector.

While deliberating upon the theme of the two-day conference, ‘Post-Modern Times: Challenges & Prospects’, the speakers hoped that the event will help young researchers to interact with senior ones to understand their future responsibilities towards the society.

The conference’s participants from various parts of the country appreciated the AIOU as a vibrant educational institution, efficiently providing academic and literary support to its 1.3 million students across the country.

Welcoming the participants, Dr Shahid Siddique said that media emerged as a most powerful social institution in recent years for transformation of the society. He also highlighted the AIOU’s achievements in developing the University as the country’s role-model learning institution and a hub and literary and cultural activities.

The University, he said, fulfil its duties, creating, constructing and disseminating knowledge through publication of research journals and holding of national and international conferences. He announced media’s conference will be made a regular feature and next year, it would be arranged at the international level.

Sajjad Mir presided over the inaugural session while Khurshid Nadeem was the key-note speaker. According to Chairman Department of Mass Communication Dr Saqib Riaz, the conference was aimed at developing academic-media linkages to serve the society through educational pursuits.

The conference during its working sessions, to be chaired by eminent working journalists and academicians will make insight into the latest trends of communication and media. It will also discuss theoretical as well as empirical methodologies to devise appropriate strategies for policy makers so as to find workable solution to address the challenges being faced by our society.

Later, in vote of thanks, Dean Social Sciences Dr Samina Awan said that the University, through such events will continue to provide a platform to youth to learn from the experience of their seniors and deliver best their practical field.