In a meeting held in the ministry of Information and Culture, the guide on how to cover terrorist attacks and warzones was finalized.
The guide was proposed by the Federation of Journalists’ Organizations and Media of Afghanistan and was discussed in different sessions of the Joint Committee of Media and the Government.
In previous months, the approval of the guide was blocked as a result of opposition from a number of media administrators to some of its points. However, it was finalized during yesterday’s meeting chaired by the publication deputy of the ministry of Information and Culture and attended by representatives of security agencies, a number of media administrators and the delegation of the Federation.
Fahim dashty director of Afghanistan’s National Journalists Union (ANJU) and a senior member of the Federation of Journalists’ Organizations and Media of Afghanistan asserts: “most of the times during the coverage of terrorist attacks and in warzones, problems would emerge between journalists and security agencies which would mainly lead to journalists being beaten and their equipment destroyed. That was why we proposed this guide to the government.”
According to Mr. Dashty, the recent incidents in which a number of journalists were wounded or lost their lives during the coverage of terrorist attacks compelled the Federation to increase its efforts to finalize this guide.
He adds: “based on this guide, the security agencies and journalists are obliged to observe certain points which would significantly reduce possible harms to journalist.”
The complete text of the guide is available on ANJU’s website and on its social media pages.
