Social media has erased the line between truth and lies, and this is in my view is extreme reporting. Where facts, reality are manufactured but only if you have sufficient manpower and resource, you can alter reality, said Federal Minister of Power Khurram Dastagir Khan at the keynote address on the second day of the two-day conference on ‘Extreme Reporting: Conflict and Peace in the Digital Age’ held at the Centre of Excellence in Journalism at the Institute of Business Administration (CEJ-IBA) on Sunday.
“Extreme reporting is an endeavor that requires bravery and strength and courage. If you look at Pakistan’s history there have been courageous men and women who have tried to express the truth and they have suffered for it. For example, Journalists have been shot in broad daylight, kidnapped and what not.
“But the media has failed to save the public from lies. It has put us in a difficult position. It might be an exaggeration to say so but this erasure of the line between truth and lies is endangering democracy worldwide. But in this country, where democracy is a one leaf plant, is crushed every so often. The media’s challenges are immense – almost the same as those as elected representatives because there are certain truths that cannot be said in this country and that is a fact. Just look at Balochistan…why are we not allowed to talk about its truth,” he added.
The federal minister touched upon the civil military relationship and how it impacts the economy, the 2018 elections, ownership of media outlets, evolving technology and what is the truth. He also recited a couplet by Allama Iqbal.
As the conference concluded, the CEJ-IBA recognized and awarded journalists with the Peace Journalism awards which were a part of the Peace Journalism Program held by the CEJ in collaboration with US Consulate Karachi.
