Everything put forth to the people is highly filtered so as to give the people a false image
TURBAT: Now muzzling the media has become a trend in the world. In the past, people had a lot more freedom to express their opinions but now as the world is getting more and more intolerant, every form of expression is under attack. Numerous people have been executed because of speaking their mind. It for sure started with the execution of Socrates who was accused of corrupting the youth of Athens through his discourses. Indeed it was one clear kind of censorship. However, in the current world, media censorship is highly organised. Discourses and contents that are critical of governments are dubbed anti-sate and eradicated in an organised fashion. Moreover, media personnel are killed ruthlessly for having critical views against tyranny. One of important examples in today’s world is the killing of Khashoggie. No doubt, he was critical of the Saudi Kingdom and faced a violent death because he had his own perspective of the Kingdom.
In the contemporary world, the media has become a tool of emancipation therefore all countries try to regulate and control their media as much as possible, sometimes for their own personal benefits; even within democracies. To exemplify this, the attitude of President Trump towards the media is nothing less than a threat to the entire media industry. The US is only one example of such ruthless action against the freedom of expression. Unsurprisingly, Pakistan remains on the same page as far as the current situation is concerned. Everything put forth to the people is highly filtered so as to give the people a false image of what the situation actually is.
Rohama Ashraf
Published in The Express Tribune, January 18th, 2020.
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