In the fight against terrorism
At a time when the country is fighting for its existence, the least one should expect from the media is to wholeheartedly support the National Action Plan (ANP). To ensure that the battle against terrorists and extremists is conducted efficiently to its logical end, the media needs, however, to keep its eyes open. This requires looking at the campaign against terrorist networks conducted by the army and the civilian authorities critically. In other words, the media needs to point out shortcomings, erroneous judgments and possible acts of omission or commission that can harm the objective of ridding the country from the menace of terrorism for good. By doing this the media would in fact be helping to promote the national cause.
The opposition is a part and parcel of the multi-party system that characterises democracies. It is the duty of the opposition to keep the government on toes. One however expects from the opposition to act in a way that does not harm national economy or make the country a laughing stock. But it always takes two to tango. The government has to act with flexibility and do its utmost to ensure that the relations with opposition do not reach a breaking point. Both sides made mistakes before and during the sit-ins at Islamabad though it is a matter of opinion which side committed more blunders. The media meanwhile cannot afford to pursue a partisan approach.
Media freedom cannot be ensured unless it is accompanied by media responsibility. There is, therefore, a need on the part of the media organisations, representing both the media owners and media workers, to devise basic rules of game in clear and unambiguous terms. The media, both print and electronic, has acquired an extraordinary reach to entertain, inform and improve society. Equally significant is its capacity to harm society in case it was to act irresponsibly. The media leadership is therefore required to devise a code of ethics after a thorough consideration of the entire gamut of issues connected with it.
