Allama

Iqbal

Assignment # 0

Name: Saim Mir Khan

Roll Num: CC533554
Course: Media Ethics & Laws-II (6604)
Level: M.Sc. Mass Communication
Semester: Autumn 2021
Tutor Name: Faisal Saleem

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Q.1
Elaborate the code of ethics and member statement of
PRSA.

Introduction:

Codes for ethics for journalism is set of principles that guide

journalists in reporting the news. There are different codes for different
countries but some generally accepted ethics of journalism are as
bellow:
 Truth and accuracy
 Impartiality
 Credibility
 Accountability
 Objectivity

Why does it need?

 To guide journalists what to do and what not to do.
 To make journalists aware of their responsibilities.
 To give journalists freedom of expression.
 To make them aware of their limitations.
 To minimize harm.
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 To assist journalists in dealing with ethical dilemmas.

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  The codes and canons provide journalists a framework for self-
monitoring and self-correction.
 There are several key ethical standards that appear across global
news organizations. At the highest level, they call on journalists to
seek the truth, act in the public interest, and minimize harm.

 Honesty.
Journalists have an obligation to seek out the truth and report it as
accurately as possible. This requires diligence: this means making every
effort to seek out all the facts relevant to a story. Journalists should also
corroborate any information with multiple sources.
 Independence.
Journalists should avoid taking political sides and should not act on
behalf of special interest groups. Any political affiliations or
financial investments that might constitute a conflict of interest
with the subject they are writing about should be declared to
editors and readers. Some organizations characterize this principle
as “objectivity,” while others, especially non-profit civic
journalism projects, reject this term, as they position themselves
explicitly on the side of public interest.
 Fairness
In addition to being independent, journalists should show
impartiality and balance in their reporting. Most news stories have
more than one side, and journalists should capture this. That said,
they should not place two different perspectives on equal footing
where one is unsupported by evidence. The exception to the
impartiality rule is opinion writing, as well as “gonzo” journalism
and creative nonfiction.
 Public accountability.
News organizations should listen to their audience. To enable the
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public to hold them accountable, journalists should write under

 their own bylines and accept responsibility for their words.
When news outlets publish factual errors, they need to issue a
correction.
 Harm minimization.
Not every fact that can be published should be published. If the
amount of harm that could come to private individuals particularly
children as a result of disclosure exceeds the public good that would
come of it, then news outlets might choose not to publish the story.
This is less of a consideration when it comes to public figures. It is
huge, however, in matters of national security, where lives could be
on the line.
 Avoiding libel
This is a legal as well as a moral imperative for journalists.
Journalists cannot print false statements that damage a person’s
reputation. In most jurisdictions, true statements cannot be
libelous, so journalists can protect themselves by rigorously
checking facts.
 Proper attribution.
Journalists must never plagiarize. If they use information from
another media outlet or journalist, they need to attribute it to them.

 Impartiality
Journalist should maintain balance in his/her output - Balancing
story or media content means treating all those concerned in equal
footing. - shouldn't overpraise or undermine anyone in his/her
story. They should give equal platform to both sides and all sides. -
They must incorporate quotes/comments/statements from both
sides in their stories. - If one side is not available for the statement
required for the story, then the journalist must mention that he/she
was not available for the comments.
 Credibility
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Credibility is key element for journalist to maintain ethical

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journalism. - Journalists need to focus on fact, figures, sound and

 solid evidence - They should always concentrate on digging out
facts of the particular subject matter if they are to maintain
credibility.
 Accountability
Ethical journalism means taking responsibility for one’s work and
explaining one’s decisions to the public. - Respond quickly to
questions about accuracy, clarity and fairness. - Corrections should
be made when errors are discovered.
 Objectivity
Journalistic objectivity refers to fairness, disinterestedness,
factuality, and nonpartisanship. - Objectivity in journalism aims to
help the audience make up their own mind about a story, providing
the facts alone and then letting audiences interpret those on their
own. - To maintain objectivity in journalism, journalists should
present the facts whether or not they like or agree with those facts.
- Objective reporting is meant to portray issues and events in a
neutral and unbiased manner, regardless of the writer’s opinion or
personal beliefs.
• Some other codes
 Avoid plagiarism
 Minimize harm
 Act independently

PRSA Code of Ethics

 The PRSA Code of Ethics applies to PRSA members. The Code is

designed to be a useful guide for PRSA members as they carry out
their ethical responsibilities. This document is designed to
anticipate and accommodate, by precedent, ethical challenges that
may arise. The scenarios outlined in the Code provision are actual
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examples of misconduct. More will be added as experience with

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the Code occurs.

 PRSA is committed to ethical practices. The level of public trust
PRSA members seek, as we serve the public good, means we have
taken on a special obligation to operate ethically.

 The value of member reputation depends upon the ethical conduct

of everyone affiliated with the PRSA. Each of us sets an example
for each other – as well as other professionals – by our pursuit of
excellence with powerful standards of performance,
professionalism and ethical conduct.

 Emphasis on enforcement of the Code has been eliminated. But,

the PRSA Board of Directors retains the right to bar from
membership or expel from the Society any individual who has
been or is sanctioned by a government agency or convicted in a
court of law of an action that fails to comply with the Code.

 Ethical practice is the most important obligation of a PRSA

member. We view the Member Code of Ethics as a model for other
professions, organizations and professionals.

 This statement presents the core values of PRSA members and,

more broadly, of the public relations profession. These values
provide the foundation for the Code of Ethics and set the industry
standard for the professional practice of public relations. These
values are the fundamental beliefs that guide our behaviors and
decision-making process. We believe our professional values are
vital to the integrity of the profession as a whole.
Advocacy
We serve the public interest by acting as responsible advocates for
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those we represent. We provide a voice in the marketplace of

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ideas, facts, and viewpoints to aid informed public debate.

 Honesty
We adhere to the highest standards of accuracy and truth in
advancing the interests of those we represent and in communicating
with the public.

Expertise
We acquire and responsibly use specialized knowledge and
experience. We advance the profession through continued
professional development, research, and education. We build
mutual understanding, credibility, and relationships among a wide
array of institutions and audiences.

Independence
We provide objective counsel to those we represent. We are
accountable for our actions.

Loyalty
We are faithful to those we represent, while honoring our obligation
to serve the public interest.

Fairness
We deal fairly with clients, employers, competitors, peers, vendors,
the media, and the general public. We respect all opinions and
support the right of free expression
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Q.2
How would you elaborate ethics in electronic media with
example?

Media is regarded as eyes and ears of a society which not only

serves as a watchdog but also provides credible information
regarding important and newsworthy national and international
events to enrich and strengthen the social fabric. Thus, the
significant information through media plays a role of oxygen in
social structure. If people do not know precisely what is happening
around, they cannot become active citizens and play their
meaningful part in the affairs of the country. It is hard to imagine
of having real democracy or good governance without informed
citizens. In any democratic dispensation, public opinion is required
to develop freely and independently and journalists have a special
responsibility in this regard. Mass media being an educator,
informer, reformer, guide and a trend-setter is more accountable.
Hence it should follow ethics strictly.
 Ethics is a branch of philosophy and its purpose is to describe
moral sentiment as well as to establish norms for good and fair
behavior. Boundaries of ethics are drawn in different dimensions in
different societies. In Pakistan, the ethical dimensions are partly
similar to those of other countries having different demographic,
religious and social backgrounds. Media ethics kept the journalism
and cultural industries with the responsibility to perform for the
betterment of society.
 Until 2002, the only television channels that operated in Pakistan
were the state-run PTV and a couple of its specialized news and
entertainment subsidiaries. Media in Pakistan purposely followed
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the ethical lines to disseminate the credible information.

 which caused to the gradual rise in the maturity in the attitude of
the people towards politics and the social responsibility. However,
the last decade has witnessed a great shift in the media policy of
the government due to opening of a lot of private television
channels. In line with the global trends, the government also
introduced the new media technologies in the country resulting in a
rapid growth of broadcast media in Pakistan.
 With the passage of time, it has become diverse and touching the
topics which once were considered forbidden for public
consumption.

 But in the same vein, media in Pakistan has become an industry in

the real sense of the word and is following its own agenda. With
the opening up of the media industry, the unrestrained news
channels are involved in a mad race of breaking news syndrome in
order to gain the audience and popularity instead of delivering
correct information to viewers. Today, prominent news channels
are broadcasting uncensored violence, crime stories, live coverage
of terrorist attacks while compromising media ethics.

 Commercial interest of media to generate revenue never let it to

observe public service message time. News channels dramatize the
event to make them saleable which is against media ethics. The TV
anchors are losing their credibility as they are found biased and
manipulate the issue most of the time, serving their owners or other
specific stakeholders for petty gains. This practice is against the
norms of journalism.

 Sensitive issues regarding gender are highlighted in a vulgar way.

Yellow journalism and inappropriate division of time for coverage
of news event and personalities through broadcast media raised the
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question about media ethics. Issues that are more important for
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society and have to be dealt with the masses such as non-

 availability of potable water, load shedding, public health,
infrastructure, wages, poverty, unemployment, etc. are not pursued
by the media properly to a point where a solution is eventually
reached.

 In November 2009, a Gallup Pakistan poll found that almost one-

third of all Pakistanis (31 per cent) blame media for political
instability in Pakistan.

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Q.3
Can advertising affect the society? Discuss with examples.

What is an advertisement?

An advertisement (often shortened to advert or ad) is the

promotion of a product, brand or service to a viewership in order to
attract interest, engagement and sales. Advertisements come in
many forms, from copy to interactive video, and have evolved to
become a crucial feature of the app marketplace.

An advertisement is different from other types of marketing because

it is paid for, and because the creator of an advert has total control
over the content and message.

Why are advertisements important?

Advertisements are a guaranteed method of reaching an audience.

By creating an engaging ad, and spending enough to reach many
users, advertisements can have an immediate impact on business.
This effect could be seen in improved trade or boosted brand
recognition, among many different metrics.
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 How advertising affects society and our life?

How many advertisements have you seen in your life?

The average person sees between 280 and 310 advertisements

per day. Advertisements are a great way to make people aware of
products, issues, and more. But has advertising become a problem
for society? Everyone has seen those ads where advertisers try to
convince the consumer that a product will make your life five
times better and their life won’t be better until they buy the
product. The advertiser’s intentions are to try to get into your
mind and influence your thoughts and decisions. Advertisements
like the car, insurance, medicine, beverage, and political
commercials often try to influence the consumer. Advertising is
harmful to society because of its strong influence.

 If let me rate the current online advertising risks, I would probably

give 3 points. They have already posed a threat to our society, but
they are not irreparable.

 So, what exactly are the main negative effects of advertising on

society?

 Let’s find out…

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 Advertising makes us feel that we’re not good enough as we are.

 We have an economic system in which people have to make
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 money in order to survive, no matter how manipulative techniques
they use to achieve that — and this can be clearly seen in the
advertising industry.

 To sell your stuff, advertisements first make you feel like crap.
How do they achieve this? By showing you what the ideal life is
supposed to be, and then making you compare your ordinary life to
it. This way they slowly lead you to believe that you’re not
beautiful, intelligent, confident, and so on, until they fully
convince you that you basically suck. The reason? To make you
feel insecure so that they can then emotionally manipulate you.

 Advertising makes us think that everything we need is for sale.

 Another serious ill effect of advertising is that it feeds us with the
wrong impression that everything we need can be bought, and
hence that money should be our measure of success and prime goal
in life.

 Without shopping, advertisements tell you that you can’t find

contentment. Thus, advertisements are fueling your desire to work
like a slave, just so you can spend your hard-earned money on
things that will ultimately leave you disappointed and dissatisfied.

 Advertising makes us associate happiness with consumerism.

 After they’ve achieved to ruin our self-esteem, advertisements are
trying to fool us into thinking that only products and services can
make us feel better. In other words, advertisements create a
problem and then offer us a solution to it. What is it? You guessed
right: Shopping.
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 Once they achieve to make you feel ugly, they sell you beauty
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products so you can improve on your ugliness. Once they manage

 to make you believe that you are not important, they sell you
expensive clothes so you can attract the attention of others. And so
on and so forth.

 In short, advertisements promise you happiness, provided that you

spend money in return. The result? Consuming stuff, you don’t
even need and supporting the production of unnecessary waste that
is polluting our planet.

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Q.4 What is public relations? Write down the ethics of public
relations.

What Are Public Relations?

Public relations are a strategic communication process companies,

individuals, and organizations use to build mutually beneficial
relationships with the public.

A public relations specialist drafts a specialized communication plan

and uses media and other direct and indirect mediums to create and
maintain a positive brand image and a strong relationship with the
target audience.

In simple terms, public relations are a strategized process of

managing the release and spread of organization-related information
to the public to maintain a favorable reputation of the organization
and its brands.
This process focuses on

 What information should be released

 How it should be drafted
 How it should be released
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 What media should be used to release the information (usually

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earned or free media is used for the same).

What Is the Objective of Public Relations?

The main objective of public relations is to maintain a positive

reputation of the brand and maintain a strategic relationship with
the public, prospective customers, partners, investors, employees
and other stakeholders which leads to a positive image of the brand
and makes it seem honest, successful, important, and relevant.
Functions of Public Relations
Public relations are different from advertising. Public relations
agencies don’t buy ads, they don’t write stories for reporters, and
they don’t focus on attractive paid promotions. The main role of
public relations is to promote the brand by using editorial content
appearing in magazines, newspapers, news channels, websites,
blogs, and TV programs.

Using earned or free media for promotion has its own benefits as
information on these mediums aren’t bought. It has a third-party
validation and hence isn’t viewed with skepticism by the public.

The functions of public relations managers and public relations

agencies include:

Anticipating, analyzing, and interpreting the public opinion and

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attitudes of the public towards the brand and drafting strategies

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which use free or earned media to influence them.

 Drafting strategies to support the brand’s every campaign and new
move through editorial content.

Writing and distributing press releases.

Speech writing. Planning and executing special public outreach and
media relations events. Writing content for the web (internal and
external websites). Developing a crisis public relations strategy.
Handling the social media presence of the brand and responding to
public reviews on social media websites.
Counselling the employees of the organization with regard to
policies, course of action, organization’s responsibility and their
responsibility.
Dealing with government and legislative agencies on behalf of the
organization.
Dealing with public groups and other organizations with regard to
social and other policies of the organization and legislation of the
government.

Types of Public Relations

According to the functions of the public relations

department/agencies, public relations can be divided into 7 types.
These are:
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Media Relations:
 Establishing a good relationship with the media organizations and
acting as their content source.
Investor Relations: Handling investors events, releasing financial
reports and regulatory filings, and handling investors, analysts and
media queries and complaints.
Government Relations:
Representing the brand to the government with regard to the
fulfilment of policies like corporate social responsibility, fair
competition, consumer protection, employee protection, etc.
Community Relations:
Handling the social aspect of the brand and establishing a positive
reputation in the social niche like environment protection,
education, etc.
Internal Relations:
Counselling the employees of the organization with regard to
policies, course of action, organization’s responsibility and their
responsibility. Cooperating with them during special product
launches and events.
Customer Relations:
Handling relationships with the target market and lead consumers.
Conducting market research to know more about interests,
attitudes, and priorities of the customers and crafting strategies to
influence the same using earned media.
Marketing Communications: Supporting marketing efforts relating to
product launch, special campaigns, brand awareness, image, and
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positioning.
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 Functions of Public Relations

Public relations are different from advertising. Public relations

agencies don’t buy ads, they don’t write stories for reporters, and
they don’t focus on attractive paid promotions. The main role of
public relations is to promote the brand by using editorial content
appearing in magazines, newspapers, news channels, websites,
blogs, and TV programs.

Using earned or free media for promotion has its own benefits as
information on these mediums aren’t bought. It has a third-party
validation and hence isn’t viewed with skepticism by the public.

The functions of public relations managers and public relations

agencies include:

Anticipating, analyzing, and interpreting the public opinion and

attitudes of the public towards the brand and drafting strategies
which use free or earned media to influence them.
Drafting strategies to support the brand’s every campaign and new
move through editorial content.
Writing and distributing press releases.
Speechwriting.
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Planning and executing special public outreach and media relations

events.
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 Writing content for the web (internal and external websites).
Developing a crisis public relations strategy.
Handling the social media presence of the brand and responding to
public reviews on social media websites.
Counselling the employees of the organization with regard to
policies, course of action, organization’s responsibility and their
responsibility.
Dealing with government and legislative agencies on behalf of the
organization.

Ethical PR practice
The PRSA has created a Matrix of Ethical Dilemmas, with common
situations PR specialists will encounter listed on the y-axis and a set
of 12 ethical concepts on the x-axis. Not every concept applies in
every case, but between them, they provide comprehensive
guidance on what PR professionals should strive for. The first six in
particular cover the essence of ethical PR practice

Advocacy
PR organizations should be responsible advocates contributing to
informed public discourse. Accordingly, they should:

Provide proper attribution of all sources

Represent clients whose causes align with their own professional
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and moral values

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 Push for a representation of multiple voices in public debate
Conform with all relevant government regulations
Honesty
Ethical PR requires accurate information and truthful representation.
Honesty should inform every process, from how a firm market and
bills its services to how it manages competition with its peers.

Expertise
Public relations skills are in high demand and should be continually
refined to keep up with changing industry requirements. Education,
research and professional development all play pivotal roles in
keeping PR professionals’ skills in line with client expectations and
capable of delivering the best possible service.

Independence
Independent, objective counsel is in the best interests of both PR
firms and clients. Accordingly, agencies and teams should disclose
any potential conflicts of interest and avoid issues such as wired
contracts (i.e., rigged bids on public sector projects) that could
compromise independence.

Loyalty
Clients should be able to trust their PR partners. They should get
transparent contracts — free of hidden fees and loopholes — along
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with accurate representations of their positions to the public. At the

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same time, PR professionals must balance client loyalty with their

obligations to the public, such as contributing to fair and informative
discussion.

Fairness
PR firms should be fair not only when dealing with clients and the
public, but also when interacting with vendors, competitors and
media institutions. Openness to different viewpoints and
appreciation of free expression are vital throughout PR.

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Q.5
Describe the freedom of information with suitable examples.

WHAT IS RIGHT TO INFORMATION / FREEDOM OF

INFORMATION?

UNDERSTANDING THE CONCEPT

Any citizen has the right to access information and record held by
public bodies, subject to some restrictions. FOI refers to a situation
in which citizens can easily seek and receive information from the
government department and public bodies.

In 1946, during the first session, the UN General Assembly adopted

Resolution 59 (1), which stated: “Freedom of Information is a
fundamental human right … the touchstone of all the freedoms to
which the UN is consecrator”. This was followed by the Universal
Declaration on Human Rights in 1948.

The concept of FOI includes, but is not limited to:

The public has the right to have access to information that the
government (or other powerful institutions) hold about them.
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The public has the right to see and hear what is n in the legislature,
courts, and other public bodies.
The public has the right to know what has been decided for them.

This list becomes bigger if we enlist all different types of information

that the public is entitled to – finance, environment, health, and
education, to name a few.

Governments should keep and maintain record of information under

different departments/institutions. This record is vital for decision
making, revenue generation, taxation, conducting elections, land
succession, etc. More importantly, such information is important for
transparency in government functions and accountability of those
people who make decisions, which affect the people. Here, let us
think of some situations in which inability of citizens to access
information can cause many problems:
What would happen to the life of people, if contaminated bottled
water is being sold in the market, and people do not know which
brands are fit for human consumption and which are not?
What would happen if a corrupt government official continues to
spend public money for his personal use, and nobody takes notice of
his actions because no information is available how the public
money is being spent in his organization?
Will it make any difference if I know the amount of funds available
for local development schemes and procedure for applying to it?
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If you request information about any of the above situations, you are
not sure whether you get it or not in absence of an FOI law. If an
official provides you desired information, he or she would do it as a
great favor. However, if you are not provided with such information,
you cannot take a legal action unless an FOI law is present.
Therefore, it is very important that an FOI law exists, which entitles
the citizens to access information as a legal right.

"A POPULAR GOVERNMENT WITHOUT POPULAR INFORMATION OR

THE MEANS OF ACQUIRING IT, IS BUT A PROLOGUE TO A FARCE OR A
TRAGEDY OR PERHAPS BOTH" –
JAMES MADISON

The 1973 Constitution only specifically recognized freedom of

speech and expression. The Supreme Court ruled in the 1993 Nawaz
Sharif case that the right to receive information can be “spelt out
from the freedom of expression” provision of the Constitution. In
2007, the Constitutional Court held that “access to information is
sine qua non of constitutional democracy. The public has the right to
know everything that is done by the public functionaries.” In 2010,
there was a significant amendment to the Constitution to include an
explicit right to information under Article 19-A, guaranteeing that
“Every citizen shall have the right to have access to information in all
matters of public importance subject to regulation and reasonable
restrictions imposed by law.”
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 Right to Information Act

In October 2002, President Musharraf promulgated the Freedom of

Information Ordinance 2002 (FOI Ordinance), largely at the initiative
of the Asian Development Bank. Although the Ordinance should
have lapsed within four months, it became permanent following the
17th Amendment to the Constitution which gave protection to all
orders/ordinance’s laws adopted by General Musharraf.

In July 2012, the senate mandated a committee to elaborate a

comprehensive access to information law and a very strong draft of a
new RTI bill was developed. It drew inspiration from the very
progressive Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa provinces’ RTI laws and
among other features establishes a strong information commission.
If the bill is adopted as is, it would be one of the strongest RTI laws in
the world.

Provisions of the RTI legislation

Principles
The purpose of the Pakistani FOI Ordinance is to make the federal
government more accountable to its citizens by ensuring access to
public records. While the Ordinance does not require the requesters
to state the purpose for requesting the information, the Freedom of
Information Rules 2004 include an application form that requires the
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requesters to state the purpose and sign a special declaration

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guaranteeing that they will use the information only for the stated
 purposes. Only exemptions found in the Ordinance are permissible
grounds for restricting the right to information.

Scope
The FOI Ordinance allows any citizen of Pakistan access to official
records held by a public body of the federal government. The
Ordinance only applies to the federal government including
ministries, departments, boards, councils, courts and tribunals and
the secretariat of parliament. It does not cover provincial or local
government or any private bodies funded by the government or
providing public services. There is some ambiguity about what
information is accessible. The Ordinance allows access to “official
records,” where a record is defined as a record in any form that is
used for official purposes of the body that holds it. The Ordinance
also defines what public records are and which records cannot be
considered as public records, such as noting on files; minutes of
meetings; preparatory opinions and recommendations, individuals’
bank account records; defense forces and national security; classified
information; personal privacy; documents given in confidence; and
other records decreed by the government.

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