ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s information minister Chaudhary Fawad Hussain on Friday commended Arab News for holding a discussion session on ‘misinformation’ at the Arab News Pakistan Editors and Reporters conference held in Islamabad, saying he invited ideas from journalists on how the government and media could be held more accountable.

The government announced its decision to set up a media regulatory authority earlier this year to improve the professional standards news industry by discouraging fake news.
The proposed Pakistan Media Development Authority was criticized by civil society groups and media associations who described it as an attempt to stifle dissent and muzzle critical voices.
However, Hussain told the Arab News workshop it was important to combine freedom of expression with the idea of greater social responsibility.
“We must give credit to Arab News for raising such an important topic,” he said. “Media is not generating enough debate on fake news. In fact, some of its segments are thriving on it.”

The information minister said it was vital for professional journalists to develop the ability to sift fact from fiction, adding it was important to train them to meet this primary requirement of their profession.
He recalled the time when there were few media outlets in the country and people found it difficult to get credible information on issues of public interest.
He noted the situation had changed, and a “media crisis” had been triggered by the availability of technological resources.

Quoting the former US president Barack Obama, Hussain maintained managing the flow of information had become the biggest challenge for modern governments around the world.
He continued that fake news was not only used by competing political factions but also rival countries participating in information warfare.
The information minister noted the issue was not just confined to a single country or region, adding there was a need address it on the international level by global bodies such as the United Nations.