Media trouble

Dawn’s May 1 editorial underscored the need to caution war zone reporters. “Taliban consider their cause to be faultless and their actions above reproach, any ‘negative’ reporting is deemed to be worthy of brutal retaliatory action. What else is to be expected of people who do not even pretend that they believe in freedom of expression? These are people, after all, who are convinced that any Pakistani who is opposed to the Taliban is an infidel...The seriousness of the warning issued by the Swat Taliban cannot be downplayed, with militants sending pamphlets outlining their future options to media houses... Any media personnel engaged in ‘anti-Taliban’ and ‘pro-western’ agendas will face dire consequences, according to the militants...Taliban have now announced their intention to ‘reform’ the media and make it ‘mend its ways’ and ‘it is the duty of the media to give space and time to statements which have a positive impact on society...’ So what is to be done to safeguard the lives of reporters and other journalists working in the north? The government’s writ is suspect, but it must make every effort to provide security to journalists wherever possible — media houses shouldn’t send reporters and cameramen into war zones without adequate protection and training...No one should have to pay the ultimate price for a story.”