News that is music to the ears

So the next time there is a bomb blast, will our media play Ali Azmat's 'Bum phatta'?

Samia Malik December 24, 2011
Every time a major political or controversial story breaks, our news channels make it a point to flash it continuously, spiced up with songs. And that irritates me a lot. It sounds non-serious, to say the least. Numbers like ‘Dulhan hum le jaiengay’ (we will take the bride) for Sania-Shoaib wedding, ‘Ye dosti hum nahi choreingay’ (We will not abandon this friendship) on PPP, MQM coalition after fall-outs really push the boundaries of what ought to be acceptable. It is so insane at times you wonder if they really are talking about real events and happenings.

It’s a trend to now compete on the selection of songs too. The better the song you have, the better your breaking news will rank.  Yes, that is probably what they think given the amount of variety we get to hear in the backdrop of different news packages. Maybe in the near future, we will be so spineless and rating-thirsty that the next time a bomb explodes, the channel playing the upbeat Ali Azmat’s ‘bum phatta’ (bomb explodes) will bag more viewers than the one playing Nusrat Fateh Ali’s slow number ‘Iss dunya kay gham’ (the sorrows of this world).

I understand that the political drama and the actions and comments of leaders in Pakistani democracy are nothing short of comic, but I don’t see any justification behind adding music.

What good does this do to the content? It could have been much-needed promotion of our music industry but hold on, they are not even our own songs! They are borrowed from across the border. Whether it is with or without permission, is another story.

To think that the biggest and best of our media brains are behind this, makes it further incomprehensible. I would term it yellow journalism. I don’t know what the public will though.


WRITTEN BY:
Samia Malik The writer reports for the city desk of The Express Tribune and has interests in human rights, international and strategic relations, changing social cultures and public speaking. She is also a radio news anchor now doing story packages and news-reads for FM 105.
The views expressed by the writer and the reader comments do not necassarily reflect the views and policies of the Express Tribune.

COMMENTS (10)

Sohaib | 12 years ago | Reply i don't think that it is worthy to attach song to make news memorable. what we will do with that memory if we don't care about our country or NEWS. and if we care then we simply we don't need the songs.
YNA | 12 years ago | Reply Politics in Pakistan is becoming very monotonous & boring it needs to be spiced up!! and that is exactly what our media does. if you get to hear the same boring " DUS BAJE KE KHABREIN" im sure only the people concerned would listen to it where as if these news are along with a song it becomes memorable, which is actually good because in our country people tend to forget the most important issue in no time. i will give an example to explain even better, we all know the history but we miss out parts of it which are important, but thanks to the new SHAZAD ROY song and the SINDHI musician now our younger generation would never forget what happened in the past because it is in the RAP style!! It was a great pleasure to read your article specially "next time a bomb explodes, the channel playing the upbeat Ali Azmat’s ‘bum phatta’ (bomb explodes) will bag more viewers than the one playing Nusrat Fateh Ali’s slow number ‘Iss dunya kay gham’ (the sorrows of this world)." hahahha i cant wait for this to actually happen!!!!
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