Media as an important weapon

What it can be made to do

This era of globalisation has brought many challenges to traditional concepts of the state. Today, the state has lost its monopoly in many areas, which it enjoyed in the past within its boundaries. Today, a state cannot control the flow of information inside its borders. Satellite television, internet, telecommunication, radio, etc, thus have weakened the state.

Today, in the globalised world, wars are won through information and propaganda, not by the force of gun. Media has become the elite weapon which softens up the ground, demoralises the target state and destroys the will of the people of that targeted state.

In 2003, prior to the Iraqi invasion, US and its allies manipulated the information and fed it to different Iraqi bureaucrats and army officers via electronic media and emails creating the desired effect which helped them in the invasion. Similarly, the propaganda machinery of allies created a perception that Iraq was making nuclear bombs. Iraq was invaded and after a few years major players of that era admitted that they lied about the presence of any nuclear bombs.

Before we unearth the complications of an already complex network of attack styles, we must understand that this phenomenon of globalisation is due to technical advancements — mostly credited to the west — which have brought the world so close that time and space context has changed it into a global village.

A man sitting in the US can have information with visuals of happenings in Pakistan or Japan in a matter of seconds. Travel from one corner of the world to the other is not a matter of years but now it’s a matter of hours. Globalisation has revolutionised every field of life, thanks to the technological advancements.

The economic system which is coming out of globalisation is neo-liberalism, which is a rebirth of Adam Smith’s idealist capitalism. Wars are engineered and fought for the benefits of multinationals. ‘Democracy’, which is a phenomenon resulting from capitalist economy, is also dependent on the forces of demand and supply.

Media is the most lethal weapon of the 21^st century. Today, thousands of television channels are providing news, analyses, infotainment and entertainment in different parts of the world. Interestingly, mostly all big and rich tycoons are owners of media channels, radio channels, websites, news papers and magazines.

The richest countries and their ruling elites are investing billions of dollars in media to create perceptions helpful for their interests. Channels like CNN, BBC, Fox and Aljazeera are credited for creating perceptions in favour of their owners and their interests. Similarly, news dailies like the New York Times, Washington Post also proved themselves to be important tools of their respective ruling elite.

Unfortunately, in countries like Pakistan, although we have more than 40 channels, we have failed to achieve desired effects at home and on the international front. One of the reasons is that media owners sometime have interests which may not represent states’ interests. Then there is no state policy regarding media content or guidelines and joint efforts of state and media to educate the masses according to national interests. One can argue that it’s because media is free in the land but is it?

Pakistani media on the one hand is failing to present Pakistani versions of events but on the other it sometimes plays the game of opponents, like it played during the Mumbai attacks or defaming state institutions during war on terrorism.

This unplanned and demand-supply based role of media is creating confusion in hearts and minds of masses. This confusion is responsible for insecurity and pessimism in our people.

Our mind projection is the result of our perception, which is defined as “an idea or opinion that someone has before learning about or experiencing something directly.”

Propaganda is not lie but an interpretation of facts for desired objectives. Both warfare of propaganda and information are directed at creating perceptions. Perceptions depend on personal, group experiences, education and cultural values. A good propagandist or information warrior always strikes at weak and vulnerable points.

National power is defined as the sum of all resources available to a nation in the pursuit of its objectives. The most important amongst the element is national character and morale. Newspapers and television give a glimpse of national character and morale — and that is why every consulate or embassy has a special section to monitor the newspapers and media of their host country.

Since independence, Pakistani media has evolved remarkably. Today, there are hundreds of newspapers and magazines along with dozens of news and entertainment channels in the four provinces.

Media is in hands of capitalists which make it the biggest enemy of the nation in which it operates — especially in third world countries like Pakistan.

Following the principals of demand and supply, media create hypes and exploit emotions of its readers and viewers. Sometimes the channels and newspapers take money from internal and external political and economic forces and misguide their viewers in the direction of what the financiers want.

If the motive of establishing a channel or newspaper is honestly, solely for business than news should be reported or even projected in the “rights of its spirits.”

Every media outlet’s version of the news creates confusion and damages the nation. Every out let interprets the facts according to their interests.

Unfortunately, Pakistani media is still in the process of evolving and news anchors sometimes act immaturely, their media card has become more powerful then government officials.

It is need of the hour that the government looks at media as a strategic weapon. There should be a governmental effort for training and education of journalists in art of propaganda and information presentation. Media must be made to follow the line compatible with national interest. What is the use of media if it cannot educate the masses about national interest?