News that is not constructive and does not lead to national progress should be filtered out.
SHIKARPUR: In the wake of allegations of an affair with French actress Julie Gayet, French President Francois Hollande asked 600 journalists not to interfere in his private life during his press conference at the Elysee Palace. But journalists kept shooting questions about his personal life, especially pertaining to reports that his journalist girlfriend Valerie Trierweiler was hospitalised after hearing about the president’s affair with Gayet.
Consequently, the president gave a message during the news conference that France faced poor progress due to the ‘underestimation of all people’. He warned that such scandals were petty issues and had nothing to do with the progress of the nation. So journalists and the government must focus on those aspects which would improve public sector programmes and the economy of the country — instead of vying for headlines from his private life.
The French president’s message has relevance for us as well. News that is not constructive and does not lead to national progress should be filtered out. Clearly, issues like the Musharraf treason case, political differences and people’s pessimistic views have nothing to do with the progress of the nation. The media must avoid puffery and exaggeration while the government must take an initiative to resolve the public’s problems because, as of now, the media is the only credible spokesperson for the 183 million people of Pakistan.
Arsalan Thahim
Published in The Express Tribune, January 16th, 2014.
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