We need reforms where influentials can't dominate media: Fawad Chaudhry at CEJ.

KARACHI -- Former information and broadcasting minister Fawad Chaudhry Saturday emphasised on the need for reforms in which the "influential cannot dominate the media".

He was speaking at the Centre for Excellence in Journalism's "Foes and Friends - Media Laws and Regulations" panel.

State Minister for Petroleum Musaddik Malik, prominent journalists, and anchors Hamid Mir, Maria Memon, and lawyer Zainab Janjua, were also on the panel.

Speaking at the panel, Fawad also stated that there is a need for stability and regulation that prohibits the media from personally attacking people or political parties.

He went on to claim that during Pervez Musharraf's reign, the media was given more freedom.

In response to his statement, Hamid Mir argued that the media did not have freedom during Pervez Musharraf's tenure, and that "it was because of journalists' efforts and sacrifices that the media got freedom".

"We weren't served anything on a silver platter." Cross-media laws exist in Pakistan, but they are not enforced, he added.

Mir stated, citing a study by Reporters Without Borders, that the four media groups in Pakistan dominate the readership in the country, which is why they get more business. Similarly, only nine channels account for more than 60% of total viewership.

While contributing to the discussion, Musaddik Malik stated that when the government introduces reforms, it means "control," when the court rules on something, it means "compliance," and when journalists introduce something, it is the "standard".

"Now politics has gone bankrupt, so have journalists and institutions," he remarked.

He said that the "elites" - politicians, journalists, institutions - have been...