THE Office of the Prime Minister strongly refutes a daily newspapers’ front-page article titled “PM stops media freedom”.
In a statement today, the PM’s Office said, the headline of the newspaper misrepresents an internal circular distributed to all First Secretaries of State Ministers, which were also copied to various officials for coordinated information dissemination.
“Media, as the fourth estate, plays a vital role in scrutinizing public officials and political institutions for the public interest.
“While freedom of expression is a cherished right, it comes with responsibility.
“The fourth estate should engage in responsible reporting, free from bias and distortion.”
It is understood the newspaper was reporting after sighting a copy of internal circular from the Prime Minister’s new chief of staff, encouraging ministerial press secretaries and information officers to liaise with PM’s Media before sending out all news items to the public.
The newspaper stated that “all media statements or messages from Cabinet ministers, government MPs, provincial governors and vice ministers must be approved by the Prime Minister’s media office before they are distributed for public consumption”.
The PM’s Office encouraged journalists and editors to uphold investigative reporting skills, emphasizing the importance of avoiding questionable media narratives with distorted facts.
“Journalism’s primary purpose is to provide information in the public interest, ensuring a balanced and truthful representation of events.
“Today’s front-page coverage, turning an internal circular into an allegation against the Prime Minister, raises concerns about the impartiality and independence of the news agency.
“This instance of poor journalism calls for a commitment to ethical reporting and fact-checking.”
