Lahore: Staff Reporter
CPDI held a five day session on Strengthening Media Persons’ Engagement and Capacity for Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms. The session had some of the most renowned trainers including Mubasher Bukhari, Asad Jamal, Dr. Fauzia Ghani, Aamir Sohail, Mariam Sherazi, Myra Imran, Zahid Abdullah, Fatima Ali, Drakhshande Badr, Sohbaib Arshad Qureshi, Moyaad Ali Jaffery, Shayan Bashir Nawaz and Kashif Jibran. The session covered a wide variety of topics and was focused on building capacity for human rights and fundamental freedoms. The session kicked off with a comprehensive training on fundamental rights and freedom of speech by Asad Jamal where the participants explored into the outcomes of the shrinking space for media persons in Pakistan. Following Asad Jamal, Dr. Fauzia Ghani expounded on the government structures for sound reporting. Aamir Sohail emphasized on the critical role of information in reporting and journalism.
Other topics included Right to Information (RTI) delivered by Zahid Abdullah, who explained the RTI law and the process of attaining information from the government through the right channels. Myra Imran explored the digital threats to democracy and field stories that demonstrated the impact laws and regulation have on media content in Pakistan. She also explained the importance of sustainability in journalism, and the risks involved in the increasing use of AI in the media. The session also trained the participants on the relevant laws in Pakistan such as PEMRA, and PTA.
The participants were also trained on mobile journalism and storytelling. Fatima Ali showed the power smartphones hold in the current age of technology. Drakhshandae Badar focused on constructive journalism and gender sensitive reporting, where the participants learned about being gender sensitivity and finding solutions to the problems highlighted by conventional journalism. Afterwards, the participants also learned about the various journalism techniques from Moayad Ali Jaffery such as data visualization for enhanced storytelling. Lastly, Mubasher Bukhari’s sessions focused on podcasts and audio production and using podcasts to report on climate change. Basic Fact checking tools were introduced and taught by Shayan Bashir, while Kashir Jibran’s session comprised discussion on monetization opportunities available through social media platforms such as YouTube and Facebook. The training concluded with a certificate distribution ceremony.
The Center for Peace and Development Initiatives (CPDI) is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting transparency, accountability, and democratic governance in Pakistan. Through various programs and initiatives, CPDI aims to empower citizens and foster a more inclusive and informed society.
