‘Impartial reporting by journalists mandatory for upcoming elections’

Author: Staff Report

The participants of a training workshop on Wednesday said that impartial and objective reporting by both print and electronic media is mandatory for safeguarding transparency of upcoming general election in country.

They said that media has to play its significant role for democracy and flourishing of democratic project. Media needs to inform citizens about conduct of elections, the political parties and candidates and their manifesto and policies, and their previous electoral participation so that they citizens may be able to vote for a right candidate, they said this at three days long training workshop on Election Reporting organised by Individualland Pakistan at a local hotel.

Media persons from both print and electronic media attended the workshop and some senior journalists also spoke on the occasion about the role media and basic concepts of election reporting.

Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) Gender Affairs Additional Director General Nighat Siddique and Tabeer & William Middleton British Political Counsel Programme Director Amir Goraya were also spoke during the training workshop. They also said that social media is the ultimate equaliser. It gives a voice and a platform to anyone willing to engage and also plays an important role in the election process, the participants further said.

Individualland Pakistan a research based advocacy group, focusing on promoting and strengthening democratic procedures and enhancing the role of citizens in governance recently started working on an initiative Engaging Journalists on Elections Reporting, Civic Education & Political Processes.

These training sessions will focus on enhancing the skill set of media personnel on topics including election laws, role of political parties in articulating interests of their constituents and role of journalists as civic educators.

The participants lauded the efforts of Individualland Pakistan and demanded such events should also be held in the future. Farhan Khalid moderated the event on behalf of Individualland Pakistan.

Published in Daily Times, July 12^th 2018.