Law on regulating social media to prevent fake news spread demanded

LAHORE:Punjab University Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Muhammad Ali has said that there is a need to use social media responsibly to prevent fake news.

He was addressing the inaugural session of consultation with key stakeholders on ‘Strengthening Media & Information Literacy Framework in Pakistan' organised by Punjab University Department of Digital Media in collaboration with UNESCO and Media Foundation 360. On this occasion, Vice Chancellor Government College University Faisalabad Prof Dr Kanwal Ameen, Secretary Information Tahir Hamdani, Senior Journalists Mujibur Rehman Shami, Mansoor Ali Khan, MPA Nadia Khar, faculty members and students were present.

In his address, PU VC Dr Muhammad Ali said that media literacy should also be conducted on the aspect of ‘education’. He said that our media channels give more coverage to politics than social issues in Pakistan. He said that urbanisation is a big problem for Pakistan’s economy.

He said that the country’s economy can be improved by providing awareness about agriculture and climate change through digital media in villages. He said that there is load shedding in cities for 10 hours and in villages for 12 hours.

He said that in the past, the villagers did not have access to newspapers and TV, now all kinds of information are reaching them through digital and social media. He stressed on improving quality of life in villages.

Secretary Information Tahir Hamdani said that for us, Pakistan is first and our focus should be on that. He said that developing countries like Pakistan face more challenges. He said that a lot of work is being done on digital media in Pakistan which is welcome.

He said that the government is focusing on e-governance but the government alone cannot do anything, everyone has to play their role. He said that there are people in the market who do not know social media but are using it. Dr Kanwal Ameen said that children should learn how to get accurate information. She said that people associated with digital media should not spread information without verification.

Mujibur Rehman Shami said that joint efforts needed to deal with the challenges faced in the age of digital media. He said that everyone complains but no one offers solutions, which increases the negative trend. He said that people enjoy spreading fake news; media is accountable to the government institutions while there is no such restriction on social media, he added. Nadia Khar said that the environment of cities and villages is changing due to social media. She said that contradictions and chaos are harmful to democracy for which the spread of verified information is necessary. Hamza Khan said that Digital media divide is increasing in the present era. He said that UNESCO is working together with civil society, media, government and educational experts in Pakistan. He said that digital transformation has made its place in Pakistan rapidly. Prof Dr Savera Shami said that the project with the support of UNESCO aims at promoting media literacy in the country. She said that the trend created on the basis of false and wrong information affects the society. She said that laws need to be implemented to regulate social media. She said that the concept of freedom of expression should be carefully perceived because many times the freedom of one may harm the other. She said that the purpose of organising the programme was to formulate recommendations for policy makers to provide education and awareness to people at all levels.