KARACHI: While discussing the coverage of Panama leaks` case in the media, speakers at a seminar held at Karachi University (KU) on Thursday highlighted a number of issues with its reporting which, they said, marred objectivity of the news.

Questions were also raised over the judiciary`s silence over the political gatherings organised to comment on the case proceedings and the `sensationalism` created by the media.

Titled `Panama Leaks and Media Objectivity`, the event, presided over by senior teacher Prof Nisar Zuberi, was organised by the KU Mass Communication Department.

Sharing his views, Dr Abdul Jabbar Khattak, chief editor of daily Awami Awaz, said that the judiciary simply overlooked the sensationalism spread by the media as well as the political gath-erings held outside the premises of the Judicial Academy and the Supreme Court.

`The irony during all the chaos was that state institutions were [on the] warpath against each other, he said.

He also criticised the media houses which, he believed, overlooked journalism ethics to increase their ratings and said that discussions on issues pending in the apex court should be avoided.

Senior TV analyst Dr Huma Baqai described the language used in the media in the Panama leaks` case asinappropriate and saidthat the aim of the media houses seemed to be to increase their ratings instead offocusing on professional values.

`It`s unfortunate that space for those having serious scholarly background in connection with the media and political affairs is shrinking day by day and more time is being allotted to noisy journalists,` she lamented.

Journalist Mazhar Abbas saidthat journalists should avoid involvement in news stories which they couldn`t verify and that there was no harm in having an opinion.

`But, this opinion shouldn`t have any impact on the objectivity of the news story,` he said, adding that the policies of media houses were having a direct impact on reporters`performance.

The media houses, he said, should take full responsibility for journalists`safety.

Dr Seemi Naghmana Tahir, chairperson of the Mass Communication Department, agreed with most of the points raised by the speakers and said that often objectivity of news got compromised in the struggle for people`s right to know, the media house owner`s effort to earn profit and a journalist`s duty to inform the masses.

Prof Nisar Zuberi underscored the need for a forum where complaints could easily be registered against the `wrongdoings of the media houses`