Media should conduct self-accountability, advises President Dr Arif Alvi

ISLAMABAD (92 News) – President Dr Arif Alvi has advised the media to conduct self-accountability, saying that the media had lit lamps in the darkness. Addressing the Media Convention organized by the Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE) on Friday, he said that the print media is facing new challenges. “The government has no so much resources and the media itself has to be organized,” he maintained. “I have taken the oath to be impartial. Improvement in the media is linked to improvement in economy.” The President was of the view that the media had become the fourth pillar of the state. “The evolution process is still continuing in the media. The information sources have changed along with the modern age,” he said. Dr Arif Alvi said that the new generation is less interested in the print media. “Newspapers are taking the shape of e-papers,” he said. He said that his love for the media is very old. “Independent and responsible media has very important role in a country,” he said. “The media is disposing its responsibility of informing, educating and entertaining the masses professionally and responsibly.” He said that the print media is facing multitude of challenges in current times including the one posed by the social media. “However, opinion makers still rely on the print media.” Emphasizing the need for developing independent media business models, the President said that sustaining of media business should be based on self-reliance rather than depending on government advertisements. He said media freedom is a fundamental right but it should be exercised with responsibility and self-regulation, rather than censorship by authorities. Later, President Dr Arif Alvi distributed awards among the journalists.