Recommendations •• During media workshops with more than 200 Pakistani journalists in Islamabad, Lahore, and Karachi in May 2012, one concern surfaced above all others: physical safety was at the top of everyone’s list. Safety training and risk awareness must become part of the overall media development strategy in Pakistan.
CIMA Research Report: Pakistan
Some training is being done, but on a spotty basis. Greater efforts should be made by Pakistan’s media companies, journalism organizations, and outside supporters to coordinate and develop collaborative strategies. InterMedia and the Pakistan Press Foundation monitor violence against journalists and provide some safety training. Cooperation with those organizations could expand initiatives and outreach to freelancers, especially those who work in conflict zones; small media outlets; and stringers in rural areas. •• Newsroom managers must support reporters in the field with safety protocols, procedures, and basic protective gear. Safety guidelines posted by the Committee to Protect Journalists, the International News Safety Institute, and others on their websites could be translated and tailored to meet the needs of Pakistan’s journalists without incurring great expense. Roundtables could be held in newsrooms or through local press clubs to discuss best practices for covering conflict and other violent events. Pakistan’s journalists make a strong pitch for more professional training in all aspects of the field. •• Attention needs to be paid to the psychological toll brutality and fear can take on journalists operating in crisis zones. The Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma based at Columbia University helps educate the media about the emotional impact of covering violence. Relevant sections of the Dart Center’s “Tragedies and Journalists” could be translated into Urdu or other local languages. Dart Center training modules could be woven into media workshops throughout the country. All of these are posted on the Dart website. •• Emphasis should be placed on modernizing journalism education in Pakistan’s universities, moving from theory-based curricula to practical training that prepares students for today’s media market. Journalism students and journalism educators need to be versed in social responsibility and reporting in a country where violence is pervasive. An assessment of core courses in Pakistan’s main journalism schools should be carried out with the goal of introducing international standards of journalism education. Courses in top journalism schools in Europe, the United States, and South Asia would be good models for change.
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Center for International Media Assistance