Media urged to focus human aspect in natural disasters

Speakers at a conference on Tuesday said media should highlight the human aspect rather than focusing on the statistics of casualties after natural disasters any where in the country.

They expressed these views during a three-day international conference organised here by the Earthquake Reconstruction & Rehabilitation Authority (Erra) to provide an opportunity to local and foreign experts to share their experiences.

In a session on ‘Role of Media in Post-Disaster Relief, Recovery & Rehabilitation’, the participants focused on an interactive panel discussion followed by a lively question and answer session, identifying the importance of media as a partner in the post-disaster scenario.

Prominent journalists represented their respective organisations including Reza Sayyah (CNN), Muaffaq Zaidan (Al-Jazeera), Li (Xinhua news agency), Fahim Zaman Khan (Dawn News) and Adnan Shaukat (AP).

Commenting on the responsibilities of media in purposeful reporting during the post-disaster relief and recovery phase, the speakers said it was observed that some sections of media commercialise the feelings of quake-hit affectees that creates negative impression among the viewers. They stressed the need for close collaboration between disaster management authorities and media for effective dissemination of information during disasters. They were of the view that emphasis should be on the human dimension instead of focusing other issues to create hype about the disaster.

Answering a question, Director News & Current Affairs of a private news channel Syed Talat Hussain said there is a cultural restraint in Pakistan that bounds female journalists to pursue stories in post-disaster scenarios.

In response to the criticism facing media while reporting stories on disaster related issues - particularly in the context of media’s focus on Margalla Towers rather than highlighting the miseries of Hazara Division and Kashmir after the 2005 earthquake - the speakers said it is a general perception that media is urban specific because a news story becomes more worthy if it is easily accessible.

Earlier, in the three sessions on ‘Rural Housing’, the owner-driven reconstruction programme of Erra was lauded for setting milestones of seismic reconstruction. It was emphasised that a close working relation with local organisations and community should take place, as its success lies in adopting a holistic approach in dealing with earthquake that focused on the psycho-social and economic aspects, together with emphasising on brick and mortar.

Tariq Bajwa, Kamran Akbar, Jennifer Duyne and Ian Davis were among the prominent speakers who stressed the need for incorporating owner-driven reconstruction in the reconstruction plans, as it is both cost and time effective.

The Erra DG said 96 per cent of the houses have been reconstructed in the earthquake-affected areas as per the seismic guidelines.

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