Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Speakers at a two-day training workshop emphasised that the media owners should be aware of the threats and risks faced by working journalists and their families. They said that provision of security to media persons, media houses, staff and other persons related to the field was essential aimed at reducing the dangers adding that the owners of media houses should also arrange strong security arrangements at the offices in order to avoid incidents like the attack on a media house in Karachi resulting in one dead and several injured. The workshop titled “Capacity Building Workshop on Policies, Security Mechanisms and Best Practices for Media” has been organised by Individualand Pakistan, a research-based advocacy group focusing on promoting and strengthening democratic procedures and enhancing the role of citizens in governance. The workshop is aimed to build the capacity of the media houses and to train them to take effective security measures to protect the media personnel and journalists from violence. Senior broadcaster and media trainer, Tauseeq Haider, while facilitating the first day of the workshop said that it was the prime responsibility of a media organisation to not only ensure the security of their field staff but the premises as well. He said that the absence of security protocols in media organisations had led to a rise in attacks on media houses in recent times. The workshop includes different sessions on the need of security policy, code of ethics at the national level, devising standard operating procedures, implementation of standard operating procedures and securing premises and equipment.