Cautiously, but certainly
The various press associations of the country are rather muted when journalists are attacked. But they can really heat things up when “journalism” is attacked.
Normally, yes, all attempts that seek to regulate the press should be viewed with suspicion. Governments can never quite feel comfortable with a free press. But what of a press that just couldn’t be bothered with inconveniences like the truth and fact-checking?
What of a sensationalist electronic media that feels the invasion of the private lives of free citizens is their professional right? To paraphrase a senior journalist, who quipped, I have the camera, I am god’s deputy.
News of the information ministry putting together a code of ethics has alarmed the media. The minister claims that nothing in the upcoming draft is going to be restrictive towards the media, but antennae have been raised, as they should have.
This is because even though no one can openly find fault with seemingly generic points like higher standards of verification for news items, compliance with the same can raise operational costs significantly. At the moment, both print and broadcast news media in the country are in a bit of an anything-goes mode, where standards and protocols are tucked away in style sheets and memos, not enforced in the newsroom or studio.
Even countries with the freest of media have standards and they abide by them. Even though this paper is cautious when it comes to government interference in the affairs of private media, it still does not believe in limiting the code of ethics to a “self-enforced” system. No, it should be decided upon in consultation with the stakeholders but should be made a part of the positive framework of the state. Complaints about the conduct of the media, be they from private citizens or the government itself, should be justiciable. We should be equally cautious of a media that refuses to be accountable.
The role of media is both positive and negative. When it exposed beating of a school teacher/assistant presiding officer by a PPP candidate (later MPA) in the Saturday by-election; it did a wonderful job. But the youth hunting by Maya Khan in a live morning show was not at all acceptable and on great public pressure, the anchor had to quit. Controlling of media by state machinery won't help the state. It did not help Ayub Khan, Ziaul Haq or Mushhraf.
How can it help the present weak government?
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