I would like to bring the attention of your readers towards the burning issue of a lack of a proper code of conduct in Pakistani media and how it damages its credibility.
It is a common observation that news bulletins have gained such a level of popularity that channels have started broadcasting them every thirty minutes on television as well as radio where there just used to be two or three bulletins a day in the past. This practice has without a doubt made people more conscious and aware of their surroundings. However, it has also contributed towards instilling fear and insecurity in them. It has been observed that while live coverage of a mob causing riots guides people to stay at home, the same coverage also encourages trouble makers to take advantage. Therefore, what could have been a group of fifty-sixty people rioting across a street in the past is now converted into breaking news all over Pakistan.
The issue here is not to withhold information from people but to figure out where to draw the line and how to refrain from crossing it. Breaking News and News Alerts are just a part of the many loopholes present in our media; the real trouble is the excessive competition that exists between channels and the lengths their administration is willing to cross in order to achieve supremacy. The extent of irrationality that exists in primetime talk shows and the level of indecency in morning shows is just a small example of the current state of Pakistani media.
The root cause of all this, I believe is a lack of principles at the top. PEMRA needs to be put in order and needs to have some authority over all as fighting court cases for credibility or banning channels every other day is clearly not the solution towards a better Pakistani media.
ARFAH FAIQ
Karachi
