(Disclaimer: this is a work of fiction. Learn to take a joke; you’ll live longer.)
ISLAMABAD – Federal Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry on Sunday suggested that Pakistani media houses revamp their order-taking models to maintain their independence and “mentally prepare” for the future when the state will change the way television and the news are consumed by audiences.
The information minister told participants at the third ThinkFest at Lahore’s Alhamra Arts Council that whenever he told media houses that their current order-taking models “won’t work”, they get angry at him and ask him how many more orders do they need to take.
“More, keep going, it’s never enough,” Chaudhry said. “Media must do anything and everything that they are told so that they can remain independent,” he added.
Chaudhry used the example of events such as the ThinkFest to illustrate how doing precisely what they’re told will go far in ensuring their freedom.
“You know there have been events such as these where we’ve seen empty chairs, because those that were supposed to sit on those chairs weren’t willing to do as they were told. As a result they didn’t speak. Do you think that’s independence?” he asked.
The Federal Information Minister further gave his own example, as a successful professional journalist, and what the media can learn from him.
“We journalists are already self-censoring and toeing someone’s line or the other. So what difference does it make if there’s a new line to toe?” he asked. “If you follow orders well enough, you can become member of multiple political parties and one day lecture the media how they should function.”
