Does living in a democracy justify crossing the sensitive red line by prying into the private lives of politicians
LAHORE: This is with reference to the article by Sahar Bandial, “The media frenzy”, published in this newspaper on November 10. The writer has raised a valid point of debate about respecting politicians’ personal lives. Is media coverage of politicians, with the recent spotlight being on Imran Khan and Reham Khan’s divorce ending a 10-month marriage, necessary? Does living in a democracy justify crossing the sensitive red line by prying into the private lives of politicians? The public seems to know more details about Imran Khan’s personal life than about his political stance or about the recent voting trends in the local government elections. Like celebrities in other fields, Imran Khan apparently has no choice but to surrender his privacy. Upon giving the reporter who asked him the reason for his marriage fiasco a dressing down, he seems to have been unable to defend himself in front of a celebrity-scandal obsessed media. Albeit, there are some celebrities and politicians who exploit their private lives for political purposes, openly using family matters to bolster their political ambitions and image.
There is Western paparazzi-style coverage of events by certain media outlets which intrude into the private lives of politicians.
I fail to comprehend the hype created by Imran Khan’s outburst on the inappropriate question regarding his divorce. Imran Khan seems to be an easy target for the media. Why have I not seen a panel of guests on television talk-shows analysing the marriages and divorces of Shahbaz Sharif, the chief minister of the country’s largest province? Why is the tag line, ‘there is no private life for a public figure’ only applicable to Imran Khan? If there are any norms and ethics in journalism, why are they not applicable to all?
Hardly any politician can be termed a saint and most have skeletons in their closet with rumours and scandals associated with them. This trend points to a potentially significant development in democratic political communications, namely the growing focus on the personal lives of politicians. The media cites the example of advanced democracies where the personal lives of politicians are no longer a purely private matter but are instead an increasingly ubiquitous feature of the public sphere.
The media digging for and publishing dirt on politicians, especially Imran Khan, is now a permanent feature of Pakistani politics at all levels. Therefore, it is suggested that Pemra frame/implement laws so that even in a democracy, the private lives of politicians can be legally protected, as certain media outlets are increasingly getting eager by the day to publish gossip and ‘breaking news’ on electronic media about public figures’ personal lives. Regulatory authorities ought to assess the extent to which the personal lives of politicians should be a prominent feature of political communications. As responsible citizens, we must oppose the incursion of the personal into the public realm since, to me, this is tantamount to the depoliticisation of a civil society.
Salma Tahir
Published in The Express Tribune, November 16th, 2015.
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