The Research Society of International Law (RSIL) in collaboration with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), held a policy dialogue for improving media responses to terrorist incidents. The policy dialogue included participants from various print and electronic media houses, police officials, representatives from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Prosecution Department and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Judicial Academy.
The event started with a lecture delivered by Former Law and Justice Minister, Mr. Ahmer Bilal Soofi, President RSIL Pakistan, on the legal aspects of media coverage in terrorism. Mr. Tariq Iqbal, Director of the Police School of Investigation provided the police perspective in these scenarios.
The presentations were followed by an extensive policy dialogue moderated by Mr. Rahimullah Yusufzai, Resident Editor, the NEWS International, Peshawar. The discussion was based on draft guidelines developed by RSIL for media personnel on reporting terrorism incidents. The topics of discussion included the preservation of the integrity of a crime scene, police media cooperation in the aftermath of a terrorist incident, live coverage of terrorist incidents as well as coverage of the trial process. The dialogue offered a platform for discussion on practical hurdles that the media and police face during these incidents and how these issues affect the trial process. The suggested improvements and solutions by all the participants were included in the finalized guidelines.
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