Media urged to avoid images of terror victims

KABUL (Pajhwok):  Free media advocacy group NAI on Tuesday urged media outlets to avoid publishing pictures of victims of terrorist attacks because they left devastating psychological effects on citizens.

Addressing a joint press conference with Afghanistan National Union of Journalists president Fahim Dashti in Kabul, NAI chief Sadiqullah Tawhidi said terrorist attacks during the past two weeks had been the main source of news in many media outlets.

He said it was everyone’s right to have access to information, but there had been an increase in the publication of images of victims of terrorist attacks. He said such acts were against journalistic norms and the country’s laws and were valuable in instilling fear and panic and had devastating psychological effects on citizens.

Fahim Dashti also said publishing images like that of Paktika suicide attack had negative effects on people’s mind.

He said journalists could express their sympathy to the victims of terrorist attacks without publishing their images, which had devastating effects on children and youth.

The two bodies in a joint statement said: “Broadcasting images of victims contributes to insecurity in Afghanistan and depicts a violent image of Afghanistan to the world and eventually strengthens the morale of Afghanistan’s enemies and terrorists.”

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