Pakistani media - an alternative view
Themrise Khan sent me her provocative piece on Pakistani electronic media. It is a contested standpoint and will not be appreciated by all. But it earnestly attempts to revisit the role of media in a dispassionate manner avoiding the cliched media freedom versus censorship debates.
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In my opinion a free media, an independent judiciary and the rule of law are even more important than democracy at the highest levels. Without a free media and independent judiciary the actions of the government and politicians in general become unaccountable and they lack transparency. Media only shows what people want to see otherwise no one can compel a viewer to watch a talk show. Sensationalism is a problem when media people behave in an irresponsible manner but they can be checked by invoking the defamation laws. I believe that the biggest achievement of Pakistan in the last few years has been this freedom of media and let’s hope it stays this way.
Comment by Skeptic — June 17, 2007 @ 7:39 pm
Having spent some years in the “media” as everyone loves to call it, I feel that its roles as an arbiter of truth and revelatory force are highly overstated. Themrise makes a valid point–if I have to watch one more annoying moment of that badly-styled, obnoxious blowhard Lucman (on a show called Lucman.com, like what the hell, where’s the sense there?), I’ll lose it. If anything, I prefer the “fluffier” talk-shows that come about, such as “24/7″ or “17 minutes”–at least there I feel as though I’m getting a combination of entertainment as well as some knowledge (I know my choice of viewership is limited, blame my workplace!).
The problem now is that a lack of serious quality in television/media programming as a whole has translated over into an excessive proliferation of talk-shows. While some are entertaining (Nawazish Ali, for all my issues with Ali Saleem, is amusing), most tend to be packed full of drivel, with nonsensical, meandering arguments that reach no resolution and generate excessive amounts of noise.
*phew* OK, I’ll stop now. Congratulations on the move to your own domain by the way!
Comment by Sin — June 18, 2007 @ 7:24 pm
I agree with the skeptic. To me, more Press freedom is a healthy sign. There will always be some yellow journalism to cater to particular tastes; nothing to feel alarmed about. On the other hand, there will always be solid, thought-provoking, and well-researched journalism acting as a think tank or at times as the national conscience.
In a society like ours, where the educational system has mostly collapsed, based on “right” answers for “right” questions, journalists have an important role as opinion leaders, and many of them are doing it with distinction. Freedom of thought is a healthy sign. It is courageous and inspiring in the face of adversity. Thank you RR for inviting thoughts on this.
Comment by Aamir — June 24, 2007 @ 1:06 pm