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Today, democracy and liberal development are
interdependent with recognition by media. In an informed
democracy, public reasoning based opinion is a vital aide
for transparent governance. It is an age of advancement in
communication technology where internet, push button
publishing, news and views getting blogged up have an
important role in making up mindsets.
Junaid Qaiser
However, media in Pakistan seems to be suffering from
perceptual poverty, information corruption, manipulations
of facts with a twisted approach to provoke chaos,
confusion and democratic crisis. The federation of
Pakistan that is dependent on peaceful co-existence,
democracy and equality may be weakened by such unhealthy
media approach.
Specifically on the front of terrorism, Pakistani media
has generally failed to draw a clear line of
understanding. Almost all talk shows start with anchors
questioning the justification of war on terror. They have
corrupted the mind of people by confusing this issue with
anti democratic propaganda. Besides media anchors always
invite right wing people and give them time to support
their hate filled ideology.
Such a hypocritical approach of media and media
policies have made our country suffer an unbearable damage
where Taliban’s advancements to various cities and
streets were ignored and masked under various conspiracy
theories. Right-wingers in the media have always betrayed
the people in giving them any kind of freedom and have
only choked the information resources for their perverted
interests in the name of religion.
Democracy faces extreme difficulty in thriving in
countries that are in the grip of terrorism, chaos,
perceptual poverty, violence and strife. Ideally,
democracy should provide warring group mechanism for
consensus building, mediation, representation and voice so
that they can settle their differences peacefully. If
constantly challenged by terrorism and violent dissension,
the fabric of democracy may become frayed. The experience
thus far has shown the media have not a played positive
role.The media have also been criticized for
sensationalizing terrorism,without explaining the roots of
menace. The media ignores consensus building efforts in
war against terrorism.
Today, we are lagging behind the modern world where
scientific and political advancements are nurturing the
society; we are not able to educate our masses with the
global perspective of threats we are facing. We have bled
to death by terrorism, our social fabric is tartered and
the barbarians took the future of our children in their
hands but we cannot unify against extremism.
It would be more than true to say that as a society we
are worst victim of intellectual corruption and specially
the Urdu media has demeaned its values with course of time.
Unprofessional and unethical means of analysis have
disintegrated the political process. Just showing
disturbing scenes, dying bodies and bloodshed do not
fullfil the cause of reporting. Such kind of attention
dies with a breaking news and can only increase the
immunity level of audience and create an enzyte level. A
solid criticism and effort to explain events to people is
more needed always and also exposing the root of violence
than blaming it as a reaction.
There is also another element worthy of consideration.
Media has monopoly of corporatism agreed with its
ownership and this game of greed damages its ability to
play a positive role in consensus building. Media is
lacking a criteria of valued journalism and is only
serving for marketing and advertising revenue . We want to
sell and never rise up to sew our souls as a nation. Had
the war on terrorism been marketed in a patriotic sense,
it could not have led us to the hazards we are facing
today.
Historically, if we examine causes of country’s
dismemberment and creation of Bangladesh, then we see
Pakistani media’s failure or inability to present East
Pakistan’s situation and condition of people there.
Still Balochi, Pathan, Sindhi and people from different
communities and religions are not happy with the
mainstream media; they think that mainstream media has
failed to present their legitimate rights, demands and
concerns. Media has failed to uphold federation rather it
is becoming dangerous for the democracy. The question
arises that if media is so much biased then how can
freedom of expression survive. We will have to wage a war
for the freedom of our rights in today’s scenario rather
than sweeping every factual detail under the carpet.
Sensationalism is a by product of military’s regime
and nobody knows how far this trend will go without check.
Many anchor persons now firmly believe that they are able
to make or overthrow governments. Information and the news
reports are supposed to provide facts without personal
opinion, unless interviews are included in story to
reflect both sides of an issue, but unfortunately news
reports today include reporters’ personal opinions and
biased views.
It is very unfortunate that lawyers and journalists
have been behaving like sole custodian of law, morality
and democracy after events following the dismissal of
Chief Justice of Supreme Court Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhary
on March 9, 2007. Anchor persons such as Kamran Khan,
Shahid Masood, Javed Chaudhary and lawyers leader like
Qazi Anwar, Ikram sheikh who appear on different TV
Channels these days are being presented as super icons and
custodian of Pakistan. These elements are in constant
tussle to harm medias view on terrorism and democracy.
These are the people who support right-wing and are the
most constipated armchair jihadi warriors who keep
attacking the democratically elected people and never
refrain from personal attacks.
People such as Zaid Hamid who are surviving militants
of the Afghan War are given importance of scholarly
vision; they are considered visionary with their hegemonic
religious and hate filled agenda. Such militant mafia that
has an agenda to divert Pakistani youth from the real
problem are considered thinktank of media. These warriors
are still pushing Pakistan to be hostile with its
neighbors and have dreams to re-conquer India and
Afghanistan thus confusing the people with tense
situation.
The unprecedented and violent character assassination
of the PPP’s co chairman and president of Pakistan by
certain vested interests of media shows the intolerant and
unproductive level of media and those who regard this as
freedom of expression are clearly living in fools paradise.
Terrorism, institutional murders, religious extremism,
racial profiling have sabotaged our civil structure and
progress and is going to further weaken our institutions.
In this bleak environment war on terror democratic crises,federation
issues, provincial autonomy, education, health,
environment, human rights, rule of law and liberal foreign
policy should figure in media debate and discourse.
Pakistan’s liberal democrat community believe that
federation, democracy and functional representative
institutions at local, provincial and national levels are
the only hope for survival. Good governance and
accountability too deserve some serious attention by
media. Therefore any debate in media must focus on
democratic institutions, social issues and electoral
process rather than campaign or propaganda against a few
democratically elected civilian leaders.
Our media is also duty bound to develop consensus on
federation, liberal democratic values, moderation,
constitutional-ism, enlightenment and reconciliation. It
is very important in the present crises that media should
promote democracy as a culture, mindset and a respect for
representative institutes and civilian elected leaders
rather than targeting personalities, whichs can affect our
war against terrorism/extremism and negate the democratic
process in Pakistan.
