News & Events

September 29, 2009

Speakers urged the media for accurate and responsible reporting on environmental issues.

*Hyderabad Sept 29: *Speakers urged the media for accurate and responsible reporting on environmental issues. They were speaking at the consultative workshop on environmental journalism organized by WWF under Indus for All Programme. The workshop was attended by journalists from Karachi, Hyderabad, Thatta, Sanghar and Nawab Shah. Speaking at the concluding session, the Advisor to Sindh Chief Minister Ms. Sharmila Farooqi said that environmental reporting is not an easy job and media has to play its role by creating awareness about the increasing environmental challenges. She said that journalists should educate themselves first about the environmental issues and then convey the information to the masses. She lauded the participants on establishing the Indus Journalist Forum and said that the Forum has difficult task ahead to sensitize the media about environmental journalism. She said that government is committed towards conservation of environment and hoped that with the support of organizations like WWF it would be able to implement the existing environmental laws. The Programme Coordinator, WWF Nasir Ali Panhwar said that it is encouraging that environmental topics are getting priority in media. However, journalists need more training to report environmental issues with accuracy. He added that media should obtain information from multiple and diverse sources including experts for authenticated reporting. Mukhtar Azad said media give more converge to politics as 97 percent news items are about politics, leaving very little space for other issues including environment. He said that Sindhi and English media has played significant role in highlighting environmental issues. Sohail Sangi said that environment has become matter of life and death and if not addressed urgently, it would affect all segments of society. Renowned writer Abdul Qadir Junejo said that folk wisdom about conservation of environment needs to be highlighted through media. Dr. Ali Murtaza Dharejo said that inventory of fauna and flora of Sindh should be developed immediately as numerous species are fast vanishing and future generation would not be able to know about the rich biodiversity of Sindh. Zafar Khan, Jan Khaskhali, Prof. Badar Soomro, Iqbal Mallah, Akash Santorai, Badarnisa Tunio, Imdad Soomro, Murtaza Siyal, Ambreen Hisbani, Ali Hasan Mallah, Aslam Memon, Ismail Memon and others spoke on the occasion. On this occasion, the office bearers of Indus Journalists Forum were elected as follows: Sohail Sangi, President, Ishaque Mangrio Vice President, Akash Santorai General Secretary, Jan Khaskehi Joint Secretary, Imdad Soomro Finance Secretary, Sabeen Fatima Press Secretary, Ambreen Hisbani Office Secretary. While executive committee consist of Aslam Mmoen, Amar Leghari, Qurban Keerio, Ismail Memon , Ali Murtaza Dharejo, Nasir Ali Panhwar and Badar Nisa Tunio