February 17, 2006

Fifth SAFMA Conference brings prominent media persons from the region together

By KESHAB POUDEL in Hyderabad , India

Despite some political differences, there are many commonalities in the regions in terms of geography, history, culture and languages. But despite the commonalities existing among them, differences created through the political interest dominated the fifth South Asia Free Media Conference held in southern Indian city Hyderabad last week.

Participated by more than one hundred prominent media persons from five countries of South Asia , three-day debates mostly focused on India , Pakistan and Bangladesh regarding the media coverage in their respective countries against each other. The issues of Nepal and Sri Lanka appeared in the debate but their issues were ignored in the broader debates of three countries.

" India is our big neighbor and good neighbor. Instead of writing with factual and objective manner, Indian media are trying to project the small friendly country like Bangladesh as a den of terrorists citing fabricated and false sources. It is good to see India is improving its relations with Pakistan but Indian media are still biased towards other smaller neighbors," said Kabir Ahamad, senior journalist of Bangladesh . "Media in India need to be objective and impartial towards its neighbors like Bangladesh ."

Moderated by Imtiaz Alam, general secretary of SAFMA and Vinod Sharma, senior Indian journalist and general secretary of SAFMA India chapter, the debates on National Languages Media and Peace in South Asia was lively.

"I agree that Indian media are ignoring neighbors’ problems. We need to learn more about our neighbors’ problems and we are not doing enough," said Vinod Sharma, senior journalists with Hindustan Times.

Media in the region are influenced by various factors including state, corporate houses and other political considerations. These elements are threatening the independence and neutrality of media.

Announcing twelve points Hyderabad Declaration, the conference stresses the need to promote more interactions among the media persons of south Asia to understand each other.

"Recalling our resolve to rise above the national, ethnic, religious, linguistic and ideological divides while performing pour duties as reporters, opinion makers and producers without indulging in acrimony, falsification, demonization, jingoism and embedding with respective establishments or powers that be. Realizing our responsibility as professional journalists to promote harmony among our peoples, cooperation among countries and rise above our respective divides while setting the high standards of objectivity, neutrality and independent," states the declaration.

This declaration is directed to the objections raised by media persons from Bangladesh during the meeting. Media persons from Bangladesh objected towards the unprofessional standard of Indian media projecting Bangladesh as a haven of terrorists.

Despite progress in the process of confidence building measures between India and Pakistan , media war in both the countries against each other does not seem to have died down. "Firmly demand and persuade the governments of India and Pakistan not to indulge in any kind of provocation and acrimony or fuel conflict in one way or the other and pursue the composite dialogue process more vigorously and productively on both perennial and ancillary issues," declared the conference. "Concerned about the resumption of a low profile 'war of agencies' and words a lack of substantive movement in the composite dialogue process between India and Pakistan ."

Unlike other countries of the region with long colonial past well-built institutions and press systems, it gave an invaluable exposure to Nepalese participants who have had brief experience with the free media. "Taking note of the continuing suppression of democratic rights and media freedom in Nepal and Maldives , we support the struggle of media community and civil society for the restoration of press freedom and democracy in Nepal ," writes the SAFMA-V Conference in its declaration. Journalist Sudhir Sharma from Nepal presented the country paper at the seminar.

Inaugurated by Indian Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting Priyaranjan Das Munshi and concluded by another Union Minister Jaipal Reddy, the conference gave opportunities to understand constraints and limitation of media in south Asia .

"The momentum for peace that it has built through its conferences and the mass media, and the trust that it has created among major stake holders, in turn, require its greater and more calibrated role in peace making in the region, But, at the same time complications are arising as we move ahead and face new problems," said Imtiaz Alam, in his report.