Asad Umar bewildered at PEMRA's decision regarding news anchors

ISLAMABAD: Member of Economic Advisory Council and member of Pakistan’s national assembly, Asad Umar expressed his amazement at PEMRA orders barring anchors from expressing there opinions on talk shows and limiting there appearances as political analysts.

Taking to the social networking website Twitter, Asad Umar said: “Amazing decision by pemra to stop anchors to go on any other talk show and express their opinion! Pemra should be doing a better job taking action against completely fake news and not suppressing the right of individuals, including anchors, to express their opinion.”

The former minister for finance said that free speech should not be curtailed under any circumstance and people should have the freedom to express there opinions, even if dissident.

He urged the regulatory body to focus on countering ‘fake news’ rather than issuing orders against media personalities.

Earlier in the day, Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority has directed all satellite television channels licensees to form an in-house committee to ensure compliance with the Electronic Media Code of Conduct, 2015.

Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) also issued new directives to all TV channels regarding analyses, views and discussion on sub-judice matters.

It has barred television anchors from giving their opinions during talk shows and limited their role to being moderators.

“As per PEMRA code of conduct, role of anchors is to moderate the programmes in an objective, unbiased and impartial manner, excluding themselves from the personal opinions, biases and judgments on any issu. Therefore, anchors hosting regular shows should not appear in TV shows whether own or other channels as subject matter experts,” it said in a scathing statement on Sunday.

The regulatory authority said it has taken cognizance of various speculative TV talk shows whereby anchorpersons, in violation of code of conduct, have tried to malign the judiciary and its decision with mala fide intention.

The court sought a report of PEMRA actions on such violations with reprimand.

The directives issued by PEMRA said TV channels should ensure deployment of effective time delay mechanism and an impartial and independent Monitoring Committee or Editorial Board be constituted, as required under clause 17 of Electronic Media (Programs and Advertisement) Code of Conduct, 2015.

The news channel’ owners have been asked not to allow their platform to be used by anyone to mislead the general public through disinformation conjecturing and speculations.

PEMRA warned, media owners that licensee shall be held responsible for any biased, unfair analysis or propaganda against judiciary and state institutions by their employees.

It has also been advised that the media channels are to invite participants with due care, those with credibility as fair and unbiased analysts with requisite knowledge and expertise on the subject matter should be considered more so, read an official notification on the matter.