KARACHI:The second day of the conference started with session on reporting from a conflict zone.
The session was moderated by seasoned journalist Aamer Ahmed Khan and other panelists were CNN’s Sophia Saifi, Senior journalist Raza Hamdani, WIONews Bureau Chief Anas Malick, TNN’s Khalida NAz and BBC’s Sahar Baloch.
They talked in detail about the dangers of reporting from a conflict zone and shared their personal experiences.
They also talked about the importance of safety trainings and mental health check- ins.
Sophia Saifi stressed on more safety for women journalists while reporting in a conflict zone.
“You are never prepared enough to be in a conflict zone, regardless of the level of information or how much you’ve learnt over the years,” said Anas Malick.
BBC Urdu correspondent Sahar Baloch agreed with Malick and said that anything can happen in the field.
Referring to the pressure from the news desk while reporting in a conflict zone, Ms Baloch said that there was a style guide but “we are still told what to say.” In print, it was easier as you could write it but in electronic media it was different. It sets a tone for your entire coverage. In social media as well, which does set another narrative, each and every situation, however, is different,” she added.
The second session of the day, ‘Beyond Conflict?’ was moderated by media personality and lawyer Ayesha Tammy Haq.
She was joined on stage by journalist and researcher Iftikhar Firdous, author and communication specialist Shahzad Sharjeel, journalist and writer Umber Khairi and journalist Zia-ur- Rehman on the panel.
The panel discussed reporting in a post conflict world and the need for media houses to invest in their reporters.
The last session of the day was ‘Is The Future Now?’ which was moderated by Dawn.com’s editor and chief digital strategist Jahanzaib Haque , the panelists were policy analyst and editor of The Friday Times and Naya Daur Raza Rumi, Balochistan Voices’ Adnan Amir, TV Producer and Co-founder of The Current Mehmal Sarfaraz and the founder of The Centrum Media, Talha Ahad.