The present 24-point code is a good first step
Reacting to a speech by Altaf Hussain in which he had made certain remarks against the Armed Forces, PEMRA had issued a warning to private TV channels in May against broadcasting hate speech. This had led to a debate regarding what really constituted hate speech. Didn’t the speeches delivered during the Islamabad sit-in come under the purview? Didn’t the remarks against a certain religious minority aired by a TV anchor constitute hate speech? Aren’t unverified accusations against politicians or judges on TV channels liable to be treated as mischief? There was no answer to these questions. Meanwhile, electronic media continued to act as the proverbial Tower of Babel where everyone was free to air his views with little responsibility and no accountability.
The good thing about the present 24-point code is that it has specified in detail what constitutes hate speech. The media managers and practitioners would now have a clear understanding of their freedoms and limitations along with the rationale for these. The code prohibits any attacks on the constitution, system, security and integrity of the country and on religious, sectarian and ethnic minorities. It prohibits glamourisation of violence and crime. Further, it ensures that the media is not used for promoting the terrorist entities. Airing of baseless allegations against individuals or organisations too stands prohibited.
One would have liked PEMRA to also specify what it precisely means by the ‘ideology of Pakistan’. Does Jinnah’s 11 August, 1947, address enshrine the ideology of Pakistan, or is to be found in the pronouncements of military dictators or the edicts of clerics whose forebearers opposed the creation of Pakistan?
It remains to be seen if the rules are followed firmly and in their entirety, rather than selectively. If applied without discrimination, these would make anchor persons, guests, politicians and clerics speak more responsibly. What is more, these would exercise the much needed control over broadcasts and put brakes on the unhealthy race for ratings, at times at the expense of social order.