KARACHI: The senior journalists and intellectuals at a moot on Tuesday were of the view that, “Today, the media institutions are free but this is the era of commercial freedom”. The moot was held at Karachi University (KU) Mass Communication Department in connection with the International Press Freedom Day. While speaking on the occasion, a senior journalist Mudassir Mirza maintained that “Our country was disintegrated because the facts were not made public in 1971”. Daily Express Editor Tahir Najmi said that the corporate media and administration is now running the affairs of journalism in the country rather than journalists. It was further pointed out that rating is required for revenue generation that’s why rating is the major priority for the media houses due to which journalists are paid good amount these days. Columnist Dr Tauseef Ahmed Khan said that the freedom of expression is the basic right of the people and vital for democracy. No democracy could function without freedom of expression and that the West has prospered due to freedom of expression, he added. Sindh government has still not passed the right of information law despite it is a part of Pakistan people’s Party (PPP) election manifesto. Karachi University Department of Mass Communication Chairperson Prof Dr Seemi Naghmana Tahir said that the role of renowned journalist Zameer Niazi in the freedom of expression struggle was very pivotal and commendable. She said that the electronic media is in a transitional phase and still its quality is not 100 percent. We are psychologically become habitual of censoring our content, she added. KU Mass Communication Department Faculty member Osama Shafiq said that the constitution of the country gives the right of information and freedom of expression to the people of Pakistan.