Desensitising the nation

News of bomb blasts, suicide bombings and target killings have, unfortunately, become an unavoidable reality for us. So much so, that we barely flinch when we hear of yet another disaster — another kidnapping, another beheading, or another childrens’ school being blown up. We are no longer surprised — it is something to be expected.

But despite all that we have gone through, there is still a lot of evil in this world that we don’t take for granted — like a man participating in the senseless killing of his parents. And when popular news channels air an ‘interview’ (albeit a short one) with this man, who by all reports is perfectly sane, in which he confesses to planning a dacoity which led to the murder, they are adding another dimension to what viewers find acceptable — a trend which I find entirely unacceptable.

This particular interview may appear to be a small matter, but killing one’s parents, or participating in such an act, should not be the next item on the list of things this nation is becoming desensitised to. This is not to say that we don’t want to hear the entire story. Indeed, we do, and after the publicity the murder of Javed Iqbal’s parents received, it makes sense to follow up the story and to show how the police, in a short span of time, solved the case. But do we really need to see Naveed Iqbal talking about it in detail in the top story of a news bulletin? The nuance is fine — he may have agreed to the interview, no legal lines may have been crossed, but socially, with every viewing of the interview, we cross new borders.

And it is when deciding the effect such coverage may have that professionalism comes in. What social responsibility was fulfilled by airing this clip? Or was it aired so we could form our opinion before the court hands its verdict? It was simply sensationalism, and in bad taste. Suspending editorial judgment, even when it’s a matter of showing a suspect’s point of view in a high profile case, is not a choice for media professionals. Those working in the media have a certain responsibility to their viewers which they must fulfil, and the right to air news or any information via television should, in fact, be given on the basis of the ability to shoulder this responsibility.

Perhaps the problem lies in the phenomenon of the massive growth of the media industry. In the years when every other industry, at home and abroad, seems to be downsizing, media is hiring. If one channel downsizes, there are others starting out, all too willing to hire those laid off. This gives rise to the thinking that ‘anyone can do it’. That working for the media is simply about the ability to read or write or parrot sensational news, undermining the entire concept of editorial judgement and responsibility.

It is time that news channels stepped up to take greater responsibility for what they show viewers. Not too long ago, the heads of various channels got together and agreed on a set of much-needed rules for covering militancy in the country. Visuals were shown with greater sensibility, keeping in mind that what was shown on television was going to affect the minds of an entire generation.

More is needed now. Given the pace of growth in this field, serious measures have to be taken to teach all those working in the industry about media ethics and responsibility.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 31^st, 2011.