Delegation of CPNE standing committee call on President Dr. Arif Alvi at Aiwan-i-Sadr

ISLAMABAD: A delegation of Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE) called upon the President of Pakistan Arif Alvi at the President House today (Monday), ARY News reported.

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Broadcasting and Information, Firdous Ashiq Awan was also present upon the occasion.

President CPNE, Arif Nizami, expressed the gratitude of the media community to President Dr. Arif Alvi for his constant support to the community in the country. He further said that it was the responsibility of the media to fact-check news for accuracy before disseminating it to curb the trend of fake news.

The President on the occasion stated that the media had a very important role to play in bringing about social change in any society.

Appreciating the role of the media in general and print media in particular, he warned that all the media stakeholders should be extra careful while confronting the challenges of fake news, which, he added, was an old phenomenon, but could have disastrous consequences.

He further said that in recent years, the fake news milling had gained momentum and blurred the accuracy of news space.

The President continued that unless a nation was equipped with modern concepts and technologies including the emerging concept of artificial intelligence, the dream of becoming a progressive and developed country would remain afar.

President Dr. Arif Alvi ensured that his office would continue to play its constitutional role for bringing social change in the country.

The President expressed strong resolve to continue efforts to create awareness on the most vital social issues such as malnutrition, infant mortality, population growth, and women’s right to inheritance and he has taken all concerned stakeholders on board in this regard, he added.

The President also added that Pakistan would fully support the peace process in Afghanistan and actively contribute to its rebuilding.

Earlier SAPM on Information and Broadcasting Dr. Firdous Ashiq Awan said that the guidance and patronage of the President had always been very encouraging for the development of media in Pakistan.

She also assured the media community of support from the Government for responsible journalism in the country.