Referring to lodging of FIR against Sajida Arain, a female journalist of Thatta, I would like to say that when middle pass and matric-fail persons will become journalists in interior of Sindh and Balochistan, then on their stress, the DPO of a district will order to lodge false cases against a female journalist and to arrest her. If Ms. Sajida is true in her sad tale, we share her grievance and assure our cooperation. However, the matter should be investigated impartially.
Unfortunately, no attention is being paid to set and implement criteria for becoming a journalist and as a result, many “Yellow Journalism Newspapers” and even some private TV channels’ administration used to ask a person to pay some ‘advance’ and monthly bribe to them if he or she wants to become their district correspondent.
I would like to suggest that PFUJ, APNS, CPNE and other organizations of journalists should urge the government to implement a law that some amount of media advertisement income would be allocated for payment of monthly stipend to district reporters of newspapers and TV channels.
Secondly, only office of staff reporter and sub-editor should be full time job while criteria of a district reporter should be as that he or she should already has his or her adequate source of income from his or her business, agriculture land, shop or family property and he or she will work for a media organization as part time correspondent in a district.
However, some amounts from income of a media organization from advertisements would be paid to district reporter as monthly stipend.
Press card of a district reporter will be issued after attesting by Press Council that he or she has met the criteria.
I hope that implementation of the above rules and regulations would remove allegation of “blackmailer” from the journalist community of Pakistan. By Akbar Quetta
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