With its breaking news and un-ending live coverage, now even more invasive with drone technology, the media is blamed for creating hype where there should be none. Some even say that were it not for the media, the situation would not have reached where it is today. Not only are we accused of prolonging a crisis but also of creating one. You give us too much credit.
We are told that the media sensationalises. It also misreports and misrepresents. It takes sides. And worse, it misleads. Some of my friends have said that they have stopped watching television news and current affairs programmes and it has helped them lead saner and less worrisome lives. Good for them. But is ignorance bliss?
Some say that as Pakistanis we are fascinated by news. We are a nation that has as many opinions as we have people. And that everyone wants to have themselves heard. This confusion and chaos is what the media thrives on.
Others, including many who live out of the country, blame the media for highlighting all that is wrong with Pakistan. They press us not to highlight what is negative and to focus on all that is good in the country. We cannot work on the agenda of others. We report what we see.
Possibly part of the problem is the expectations that people have from us. Let us start with that. Many do not want us to report the crime, violence and corruption that had engulfed our country. They want us to focus on the “positive elements.”
I remember the killing of the principal of the Swedish Technical Institute in Karachi in the early 90’s. I recall how one paper covered the incident by putting the picture of the corpse on its front page. The decision was taken by editor Ghazi Salahuddin and he was criticized for it.
The paper’s rival would never have done so as it would upset its readers at breakfast. Ghazi Salahuddin’s take: tell it like it is. Show the people what is happening. Only then will they wake up to reality.
People get upset when we tell it like it is. The only problem is that when such people become victims of the same crime, violence or corruption that they want us not to report, they come to us to highlight it. The expectations do not end there.
Let us look at the dual standards as well. Indian soaps and movies are the most watched TV shows by far in Pakistan. But if the same are brought through our media, then we will attack the channel for highlighting what is against our culture.
When we write about people or organizations, the subjects expect us to write good things. If we don’t, we are accused of having an agenda, of being on the payroll of some agency or simply indulging in yellow journalism. When we ask for the version of a person or organization we are writing about, we sometimes don’t get it. But the next day, the same person or organization accuses us of being one-sided.
Some criticise the media trying to talk down to the people. The media, they say, cannot decide for us what to watch or read. Fair enough. But when the same media airs programmes that appeal to the lowest common denominator, people are up in arms. They say we are airing trash.
When I sometimes mention that the media in Pakistan is one of the freest in the region, many look at me as if I have gone mad. It is one of the most dangerous places to work. The number of journalists killed, kidnapped, threatened, tortured or harassed is one of the highest in the world. That is true but that is because of the work they do and not the other way round.
We have a vibrant media and we should be proud of it. During the current political crisis we have reported as it is. We have not censored what one side said to the other. This kind of freedom should be appreciated. Also some recognition should be given to the people who make this happen.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 25th, 2014.
Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.
COMMENTS (6)
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ
1713853507-0/MalalaHilary-(2)1713853507-0-270x192.webp)
Mr Siddiqi, you are missing a major point here.
Yes, all news should be reported but it is the manner in which the news are reported that differentiate a tabloid from a serious newspaper.
What has wrong with Pakistan media is that even previously serious newspapers, whose print editions may still be called newspapers of record, have taken a tabloid approach when it comes to their TV versions.
The word Breaking News has lost most of its sanctity and the editors running them should be questioned for their competence - and sometimes, sanity.
It is therefore for nothing that I advise my friends and relatives that they should invest in the purchase of an inch wide black scotch tape and fix it at the bottom of the TV screen. This will do wonders for their mental health. This would still enable them to listen to the hourly news but would spare them the nerve wrecking sprial of senselessly and callously edited tickers.
I'll just share this worth-reading paragraph from the column
"People get upset when we tell it like it is. The only problem is that when such people become victims of the same crime, violence or corruption that they want us not to report, they come to us to highlight it. The expectations do not end there."
For example, the media can insist that a punishment delivered by police should be reported with graphic photographs...but then what about the crime? If the man being punished had just raped a young girl and your cameraman happened to be present is he going to take graphic pictures of the rape so that he can have it printed in the newspaper? If so, then I would ask why did the cameraman not help in stopping the crime? How many media personnel are in reality present during the crime and how many have actually tried to stop the crime?
The personnel working for media are paid for increasing the readership so media is not performing its role but only claiming that we report as we see. Forget the photograph or video do something about stopping the crime...may be use your "Drones".
By all means I would say media is not absolutely free to say what it wants...nor does it want to...or else you too will be shut down like Geo News. So let's face it...media is not busy reporting on the war on terror or where the Haqqani leadership is hiding or how they got away...right?
I wholeheartedly agree that media's job is not to fight crime but there is a civic role that you should not forget. So enough about how honest and fair and unbiased your are...take a look good look at yourself in the mirror.
Media -- tell it like it is.Very good.
But how about working a little harder at figuring out what is going on?
Having a smoke, going to the internet and getting a coffee, not checking facts, not visiting the site of a crime or event or situation has become the norm in newspaper companies. The op-eds are rubbish with same old off the cuff opinions and its obvious at time, print journalists are not even watching current affairs shows and come up with contradictory and false information -- which isquite often.
How about visiting some villages and understanding how PK functions? Instead journalists today are looking for the easy way. Where is good investigative journalism? Can you show me some?
Like all things in Pakistan, corruption is even rampant in the media. Even in print. Political parties, vested interests pay stringers and reporters in a number of towns and cities and the editors sitting in Karachi do little to check them and they get printed.
Loved this piece. Truth must be told, as is.
A common man in Pakistan, who does not have free access to internet, who can't read english even if he did so, and who can't go to school, media is the only tool to raise his awareness about the fundamental issues. People have a choice to flip channels and watch whatever they feel comfortable with
Don't worry about people who remind you about all negativity in media, they come from a different generation, who were brought up in the days of PTV. In a few years that generation will be gone, and as a consequence of media, the newer lot would have learned to respect differences, and deal with it.