PEMRA says strict actions will be taken against media houses if its directives or orders of the superior courts were not complied with.
ISLAMABAD: (Urdu Point/ Pakistan Point News, Oct 28th, 2019) In what can be said another move to supress the freedom of Press in the country, Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) has restrained television anchors from giving their personal views and opinions during talks shows and ensure their role just as moderators.
The PEMRA also barred anchors from taking part as experts in talk shows in their own or tv channels, with directives to media houses to be careful in selecting guests for thier talks shows. The relevant experts of the subject should be invited by the media houses for thier talk shows, the media regulator said in its new order issued to all TV channels in Pakistan.
"The relevant experts of a particular subject should be invited by the media houses for their programmes and talks shows," said the new order. "The anchors must not give thier personal opinion or should not indulge into personal biases on the subject matters under discussions and exclude themselves from the personal likings and dislikings," the PEMRA said.
This new move came after the Islamabad High Court summoned five anchors of different television channels for giving their opinion on the matter of Nawaz Sharif's bail that a deal had been signed between the parties. The court asked the anchors to explain thier position with substantive arguments that how the deal was signed between the parties. The expressed serious concerns over the statements and opinions of anchors in thier programs, with observation that whether PEMRA was performing its duties.
The journalists termed the PEMRA's actions as curbs on the freedom of press in Pakistan.
“Pemra has many times issued directives to TV channels and broadcast houses asking them to refrain from airing discussion, views and analysis on sub judice/under-trial matters," the order said adding that "a number of show-cause notices were served on the channels for holding such programmes to derogate and malign judiciary and instructions to tarnish the credibility of regulator before the courts,”.
In its order, the PEMRA also ordered TV channels to ensure deployment of effective time delay mechanism and constitute an impartial and independent monitoring committee/editorial board as required under clause 17 of the Electronic Media (Programmes and Advertisement) Code of Conduct 2015. It also warned that the strict actions against the media houses under the law if its directives, guidelines and orders of the superior courts were not complied with in future.
