Is this free media?

As media holds a very responsible position in making and shaping people’s opinions, it needs to be handled very carefully. It can make people believe what it actually wants them to believe and this is what makes it a powerful tool changing people’s thought process, beliefs and even choices of life. Unfortunately, our media has always been under the surveillance of either the foreign players or the political biases. Be it a civil bureaucracy or the military rule of Pakistan, every leader has utilised media as an instrument to achieve his/her political agenda. The notion of free media is meant to promote a sense of nationalism, but not to foster the seeds of violence and extremism in the society. Most private TV channels cover political stories and disputes among different sects while undermining the broadcast of the positive aspects of it. Is this the liberal notion of media that we desire? This is indeed the dilemma of our country which is not to be simply overlooked.

This partiality of the media coverage mostly respites in the ownership structures of Pakistani media and the dominance of state and non-state actors. It puts more responsibility on our government to make certain laws which ensure the screening of those news and events which serve the national interests rather than vested interests of regional players.

Indisputably, we want free but an impartial media in Pakistan. But labelling it a ‘free’ media doesn’t make it one. Maya Khan’s raid on the parks in Karachi is a recent instance for that matter. This undoubtedly depicts the immaturity and unprofessional functioning of our Pakistani media. Is this what freedom of media supposed is to be? Liberalising media doesn’t mean to exploit people’s integrity and to infringe the private matters of the citizens. Our local media must observe a certain code of conduct and display civic attitude while broadcasting any news or event on the TV screen.

GUL-I-HINA SHAHZAD

LUMS, Lahore