Speakers at a one-day conference on Tuesday urged media to adopt a ‘do no harm’ approach while reporting on sensitive matters so as to avoid conflict and promote harmony, peace and stability in the society. The programme titled Conflict-Sensitive Reporting & Peace Journalism was organised by the Shaoor Foundation for Education and Awareness under its initiative Amn Qilaab. Amn Qilaab is a social peace building campaign currently working in 14 districts of Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Azad Jammu & Kashmir. The campaign aims at promoting tolerance and inclusivity in the society in order to realise the dream of a peaceful Pakistan. The basic objective of the event was to sensitise journalists about conflict-sensitive reporting. The panel which addressed the seminar included senior journalists Amir Mir, Iftikhar Ahmed, anchorperson Mansoor Qazi, Federal Union of Columnists Chairman Farrukh Shahbaz Warraich, motivational speaker Ali Abbas and Shaoor Foundation Executive Director Syed Ali Hameed. The participants talked about the role of a responsible media in promoting peace and tolerance in the society and that how media should highlight the positive side of the society. Besides the journalist community, a large number of civil society activists also attended the event. Addressing the participants on the occasion, the speakers stressed the need for promotion of positive content by the journalists and do objective reporting to avoid hatred, divisions, violence, extremism and social intolerance in the society. “Journalists should report things as they are, without any bias or sensationalism. it is also necessary for journalist to present not just the facts but also the context of the facts,” they said, lamenting that media in Pakistan was far too focused on sensationalism and getting ‘clicks’ or Likes, with a focus on quantity over quality of the information provided. While highlighting the crucial role media plays in shaping public attitudes and setting everyday public agenda, the speakers urged the journalists to prioritise the truth and facts and report with a ‘do no harm’ mentality. “Reporting on conflict may be the most dangerous assignment for a journalist. Reporters can create risks for themselves, victims of the conflict and can even escalate the conflicts. For this reason, it is critical that journalists approach their work with a ‘do no harm’ mindset,” they stressed. The speakers stressed the need for strengthening the capacity of media professionals to report in a well-researched, factual, non-biased way and to contribute to dialogue, mutual understanding and eventually reconciliation and peace in the country. “Reporters face a difficult position when put in conflict situations. They find heartbreaking human suffering and often become party to the conflict that may be sympathetic or stand for positions that are antithetical to the journalist’s own views,” they said, adding that journalists are expected to be impartial and gender sensitive in their reporting. “Journalists are gatekeepers, they filter all the information that goes to the public and in this case, it is important that they acquire the skills especially in conflict sensitive reporting.” The panelists also highlighted the topics such as media literacy, journalist safety and the culture of fake news. Bringing together a diverse group of media practitioners and researchers, the discussion offered audience members real-life practical tips on true reporting. Published in Daily Times, December 5th 2018.