Media in Pakistan:-

"When complaints are freely heard, deeply considered, and speedily reformed, then is the
utmost bound of civil liberty attained, that wise men look for."-- Milton

No power on this earth can block the truth as it is God who, being the truth Himself, guards it. Nowhere
in history could the truth ever be suppressed, it always revealed itself in some other form and with
dangerous consequences.

British philosopher John Stuart Mill underlined the need for free speech mainly for three reasons. He
believed that freedom to read or write is an important element to expose and reveal the truth, to ensure
self-development and self-fulfillment of citizens and to help ensure participation of the citizens in a
democracy.

The Pakistani media is an enthusiastic member of the new warrior clan of the 21st century and despite
belonging to war-torn country, is playing active role in keeping with the demands of the modern times.
By airing divergent views and engaging in cross questioning on significant national and social issues the
media reflects and informs public opinion and practically shares the task of the parliament. Investigative
reporting and live discussions can undermine the spell of many a magicians.

This has facilitated public access to the hitherto unseen workings of the political and bureaucratic set-up
while simultaneously highlighting the injustices suffered by the common man as a result of the shady
practices of the elite.

After a significant role of media in restoring the judicial crisis, media has an unprecedented ability to act
as a catalyst in civil society efforts to strengthen democratic polity.

The fundamental ingredient making democracy possible is the flow of information. The media (plural of
medium )electronic, print, cyber and internet ensures this flow of information. If restricted, censored or
hindered in any way the people will remain ignorant, ignorant of events, ignorant of their rights, their
duty to the State, their needs and the role that they can play for the betterment of the society they live in
and the country as a whole.

Macaulay called the Press as Fourth Estate of the government, but the advent of technology the media
has gained new dimension, great strength and very sharp transforming the present age into information
explosion.

The media plays an extremely important role in transmitting the claims of social, economic and political
movements to the decision-makers and the public. A free press and electronic media is an essential
attribute today of a democratic polity because only these sources of information can keep not only
information flowing freely but also help maintain a constant dialogue between the policy makers and the
masses.

How did TV Channels Emerged in Pakistan:

Surprisingly, the free electronic media in Pakistan was initiated by a dictator General Musharraf,though he
had his own interests to present himself as a democrat President before the West.

Growth of Satellite system facilitated it technical side. President Musharraf to project Enlightened
Moderation and democratic image.

Multinationals’ advertisements provided huge income to make the business viable.

The peoples’ interest in watching their issues instead of traditional dramas and movies.

The world after 9/11 and talk shows got the attention of the Pakistanis and the Muslim world. Talented
anchor persons became the voice of the people.

Less readership and more viewer ship due to busy life spread the culture of watching.

Availability of TV sets due to China imports and cheap manufacturing in Pakistan.

New local government system in 2001 and 2002 the urgency to provide electronic media at the grass-
roots level.

Allowing media freedom was not a choice for Pakistan’s establishments. It was their compulsion. During
the Kargil conflict the Pakistani establishment had learnt the bitter lesson that PTV commanded only a
limited audience. People watched Zee News and other Indian channels to get the other side of the story.

In this backdrop it was decided the Pakistan needed its own independent electronic media channels.

Western Media and need for local Media:

The Western Media Cover Iraq, or Afghanistan, WMD. A.Q. Khan, London bombings, Pope’s remarks
about Islam or Islamabad agreement with tribal elders in South Waziristan, but with its own comments
and showing one as Hero and other as Villain. The world is in the grip of War of Media.

Johann Galtung, a distinguished journalist, maintains that media projects violence without analyzing its
causes for unresolved issues portrays one side as’ ‘Evil’ and the other as ‘Liberator.’ Kevin Doyle quotes
the theory of ‘Propaganda Model’ and explains that the modern Media promotes the division within the
global village which is enhancing insecurity.

The US controlled western media, is blaming Islam and Muslims as terrorists. If some Muslims are
terrorists, it does not prove over a billion Muslims are terrorists. Former President CBS News, Richard
Salient reveals,

“Our job is to give people not what they want, but we decide they ought to have.”

Miracles of Electronic Media:

Modern-day electronic media, on the other hand, has employed advanced technology to wage a bloodless
war in the form of investigative reporting and live debates.
The combined usage of auditory and visual sensory perceptions by the electronic media can succeed in
stimulating deep emotions and sensations.

Televised news is the most powerful medium today, especially in Pakistan where the literacy rate is
extremely low. Due to impact of TV channels, the people are more informed. The electronic media, along
with the print media, often criticize the government for going against the spirit of the constitution,
violating democratic traditions and being unaccountable to the public at large for inflation,
unemployment, poverty, deterioration of the law and order situation and highhandedness against
opposition.

It can be used as a motivational force to bring consensus on vital issues like education and health. The
truth is that the significance of the media as a medium of interconnectedness of human affairs cannot be
undermined in an age of rapid globalization.

It seems to have overtaken the press in forms of impact on the target population in as much as it
reproduces events and characters on the screen directly and promptly. The advent of independent TV
channels in the country substantially transformed our culture and political discourse. Television is far
more effective pervasive, intensive and graphic than print media. Its impact on the public mind is
substantially higher than that of the print media. Live coverage on television not only provides us with the
most up-to-date information about events but also engages the viewer in a way that print media cannot
do the in the same way.

It is usually claimed that the job of the media is the dispassionate presentation of facts. The fact is that
the job of the media person is not to serve as a post office but more importantly to educate the public
through informed reporting so as to facilitate as objective an opinion formation as possible. A free media
that works conscientiously can serve as the collective conscience at the national and international level.
This, however, is often easier said than done.

The reporter or journalist is after all human and endowed with biases and in some cases prejudices and
as with all power bases the media too is vulnerable to the corruption of the absolute power. There will
always be those in their ranks who can be bought with cash or perks or promises of paradise. But then
there will always be those who are not purchasable because they know that their reporting can make or
break individuals, communities and nations -- a heavy burden indeed.

Positive Effects:

Political Analysis:

The skilled and bold personality of anchor person raises people’s voice and clearly asks the real point of
the crisis.

They analyze government actions, either in favor or against the masses and develop the opinions of the
experts.

Media is serving as true democratic notion of people’s participation. The general peoples’ criticism,
analysis, and comments are added. which also act as a catharsis.

The ruling feel shame while speaking bluff in live shows before the millions of the citizens.

Media successfully informs the whole world against any injustice and shows world’ criticism which compel
the government to change its autocratic orders.
Economic Debate

Shows government’s projects internationally to get foreign investment by projecting the benefits of the
enterprise.

Advertising to maintain competition among various companies which facilitates the public. Like, mobile
phones and their lowering prices.

It represents new business trends going in the world and offering the new opportunities for the investors.

Performance of stock exchange keeps update the investors.

Spreads technical education to learn the working of the machinery.

Social Awareness:

Bring the world at doorstep

with its various trends, colors and life styles.

Changes moods and behavior of people from conservative to liberal.

Bold topics through dramas and talk shows to purify the society from superstitions, evils and fake stories.

New household styles to upgrade the living standards.

Guides the youth for new opportunities and to compete with the world in all fields of life.

Creates civic sense.

Religion Clarifications:

Authentic information by the competent scholars instead of narrow minded and ignorant clerics who have
changed the world into hell.

Solutions of answers of publics’ questions which remain unheared and unexplained.

Highlights religious events like Mohram, Eid, Mairaj and the holy ramazan.

Sectarian harmony is minimized by putting forward the views of competent and enlightened Ulamas.

Negative Effects:

Political gimmick:

Blackmailing by the media persons to get personal gains as now practically, media is not answerable
before any institution.

Sensationalism of news to get cheap popularity.

To show one as Evil and other as Liberator by continuously repeating the comments or visuals.
Social Evils:

Vulgarity due to inflow of foreign culture. The English and Indian channels are affecting the moral of the
youth.

Time wastage due to constant watching the dramas.

More materialism by diminishing simplicity.

Generation gap is increasing on account of fast approach towards life.

Religious impressions:

Weakening religious impressions due to foreign culture and time wastage.

Challenges to Media:
·
The violence stricken areas like FATA, Balochistan, the journalists are terribly vulnerable. In 2008, almost
12 journalists were killed and 6 in 2009. It has curbed the free flow of information.

Pakistan is facing conflict of ideologies between conservative and secular approaches. Therefore media is
cautious in debating on such sensitive issues

The government indirectly restricts media by withholding advertisements.

Media monopoly by big groups is also obstructing the expansion of smaller channels

PAMERA have frequently threatened to cancel the license. Also other government agencies pressurize.

The political issues are so debated that other social, religious and psycholoigical aspects are not properly
addressed.

Though the media as an institution enjoys enormous power and influence, media organizations are not
charity houses: they operate as businesses and have commercial interests. There is a natural tendency to
indulge in corruption and malpractice when an institution enjoys absolute power, particularly in the
absence of a strong system of accountability.

The Government verses Media

Our country is rapidly drifting towards destruction due to the ever-increasing corruption and poor
governance.

Since independence, corruption and mismanagement have become common norms. Now media has to
work hard to sweep the dirt. As a result, the government considers it as humiliation and defeat. The
anchors like Kamran khan, Dr Shahid Masood, Hamid Mir, luqman Mubasher, Talat Hussain etc. have
successfully criticized missing people, steel mills case, Kerry Lugar bill, NRO, rental projectors,
victimization by members of the assemblies and the inside stories of DEALS with each other.
This government has no ability or a morally upright resource to take cognisance of it; our attorney-
general has resigned due to corruption charges, the minister for parliamentary affairs has been named in
a corruption case involving tens of million rupees and it is needless to mention the conduct of our ex-
chief justice Abdul Hameed Dogar.

The banning of Meray Mutabiq is unacceptable to 170 million Pakistanis who believe in the freedom of
speech. This is an attack on free speech and the media by the current regime which must be resisted. Dr
Shahid Masood has been bringing the facts before the nation. He is a professional journalist and must be
allowed to continue his show.

PEMRA and Freedom of Media

The Authority is responsible for facilitating and regulating the establishment and operation of all
broadcast media and distribution services in Pakistan. The mandate of PEMRA is ensure accountability,
transparency and good governance by optimization the free flow of information. But the ex-President
Mushraf issued orders’ “To seize broadcast equipment or seal the premises.” When journalist refused to
be overawed by indirect threats, a draconian law in the form of the Pemra (Amendment) Ordinance,
2007, was promulgated. This law is on its face contrary to Article 19 to the Constitution of Pakistan,
1973, which guarantees freedom of speech, expression and the press…. To raise the fine of violations
tenfold and if required to suspend the lincense.”

Sensationalism in the Media:

What is sensationalism? Dog bites Man. This is old news. We already know the outcome. Man bites Dog.
This is sensationalism: it immediately stirs the listener’s mind and is the cause for great hype.

The dramatic background music, images of clashes between security officials and civilians, and riots all
form a part of sensationalism, enticing the viewer to turn on the television set. Whatever the truth, does
not matter, television is selling, making money and that is the true motive.
On the other hand the growing trend in broadcast media for attracting anchors on heavy remunerations,
anchors who possess skills of creating sensationalism and who spice news with hypothesis, is an example
of how media channels are departing from objectivity and balanced reporting.
Furthermore, the frequent switching of anchors from one channel to another mainly for economic gains in
utter disregard of the basic ethos of the journalistic profession also supports the argument that broadcast
media in Pakistan is headed for over-commercialization.

These channels sometimes most of the time have been guilty of over-doing things with their moment-by-
moment commentary. Give them some time (a decade at least!), they’ll mature over time.

Also they would just cut anybody, a politician would be there talking and they will cut him in the middle
saying buhat buhat shukriya app ka

During the Lal masjid episode she even once said to DG ISPR app qaum ko koi pegham dena chahin ge.
he said, BB main yahan apni duty de raha hoon, qaum ko pegham dene nahin aya.

The claim of Sub se pehley has started a mad race.

The media has realized its power and ability to penetrate an innocent mind and they are exercising it so
savagely.

The private channels are owned by big investors with a purpose to enhance business. They have to
afford massive expenses, so, competition to excel others makes them irresponsible. In order to attract
more view ship and resultantly more commercials-they even sometimes forget the damage caused to
national interest.

A bold and blunt anchor person undermines the set standards. The petty events are heightened. Tiny is
made mighty and vice versa-on the grounds of personal grudges or at the behest of the owners.

Moreover still, the mood of the public is not as mature as in the strong democracies due to lack of
education and weak sociopolitical and cultural norms.

Causes of Controlled Media:

The imperial heritage has been hallmark about politics. In Pakistan, not only the dictators but also the
civilians rulers took unconstitutional steps, covered their own corruption along with their associates.
Internal corruption of judiciary all were only possible with a curbed media.

Narrow minded religious parties once the blue eyed boys of the military restricted media freedom.

Media has been the fear of every general after taking over the government.

The illiterate masses have been exerting zero pressure on the policy makers.

The reason for different views are the investors. If a party or institution invests in the media, they want
to see their own views reflected. The views reflected are not necessarily of the public, nor of the
employees, rather, the views of those who pay wages to these employees, in turn shaping not only their
view, but also the public.

Corporate barons who own a large chunk of the Pakistani Media obeyed the official orders to get
monetary benefits.

Pakistan has failed to spawn a free and fair political culture attuned to the expectations of its people.
Journalists have been intimated and humiliated by the denizens of power and their agents. The vigilantes
of the political parties, too-especially the religion-oriented ones-also contribute generously to making the
lives of journalists miserable. Everyone wants the journalists to obey their orders.

Suggestions:

The media as an institution and fourth estate is accountable to the public and responsible for its actions.
Media practitioners should stop thinking they are above the law. Let the media introduce an internal
scheme of checks and balances. Undoubtedly, this is an uphill task.

Accountability of the media is not possible under the disputed regulatory regime. Media organizations and
civil society should jointly constitute a commission for this task. The recent coming together of several
leading TV channels to frame rules for terrorism coverage is a step in the right direction. This move may
help purge the elements abusing the power of the media in violation of the public mandate.

The aim of media activism should be to strengthen the weak and vulnerable segments of society. It is
they who need our support, activism is not merely reporting but it involves deep passion and research.

While covering a big story, especially in the war zones, the human sides of a conflict are often ignored by
the general media. Here media activism can play its true role in reminding the world of the miseries and
sufferings of the ignored segments of society.

In the same context the NRO has made even the highest office of the country questionable. In such an
environment it is the honest and straight-forwarded media which can make some difference by acting as
a pressure group and the recent action of the government amounts to treason.

First and foremost, media must help in stabilizing the national institutions and national socio-economic,
political and administrative structure by pointing out the flow and appreciating any rod work done by the
Government or State institutions and organizations in private sector. Serving the country honestly and
sincerely must be projected.

The need to strengthen our socio-cultural and ideological foundations was never so great as it is today.
There is cultural invasion from the West and Indian TV channels and Cable TV networks. Our values are
being attacked and are in danger. Media must build our confidence and faith in our values.

We as viewer should mend ourselves, so that we may not be carried away with the media hype. We
should know when t o stop viewing the repeated hysterics.

Media going through a turbulent transition, with a new found liberties. It is hoped they will settle to a
saner posture in due course.

It must create a pride in our glorious past, our culture and our way of living. Pakistan is the seventh
atomic power in the world and the only Muslim country, which has achieved this status. This is a matter
of great pride and prestige. We have mat beautiful normative and social value structure, which needs to
be preserved, promoted and strengthened.

Media must help sustain confidence in our national institutions such as parliament, armed forces and our
social structure. Erosion of such confidence in our institutional set-up can be dangerous. All problems and
issues such as relating to functioning of our institutional framework have to be explained effectively to
the people so that they develop a positive opinion and attitude.

At present, we are living in a world, which is moving too fast. And in the ensuing din and noise masses
must be helped by the mass media to see things clearly so that they are not misled.

The prime objective of media must be national stability in all its dimensions. A social and political climate
needs to be created in which people could engage-themselves in positive and healthy activities and could
contribute to the overall national development.

The feelings of despondency, frustration and deviant tendencies need to be neutralized. Only an effective
media, can do this.

This also places far greater responsibility on the shoulders of those running its affairs. The nature of their
functions is such that all those involved in the process including reporters, analysts, anchors, editorial
staff and the management are required to make difficult choice every day. It is essential for their
credibility that they remain visibly impartial, evenhanded and demand from the passions of the moment.

A system of journalistic accountability, both internal and external, is in place on the news side, which
leads to more responsible reporting and editing.
The sudden boom in the media has led to severe shortages of trained manpower, so that people can be
appointed to positions that require more journalistic experience than they really have.

The print and broadcast media must make every effort to ensure that their coverage is factual, balanced
and informed. Live pictures must be responsibly broadcast.

Conclusion:

To summarize, media can help stabilize and strengthen the country by playing educational and
informative role and by imparting knowledge to the masses as knowledge is power and only a well-
informed society can develop a positive approach towards fife.

The objective of media freedom can be realized only when public trust and confidence reposed in the
media is respected and protected by the media itself by acting as a true watchdog, keeping an eye on the
government on behalf of the public.

“Freedom of conscience, of education, of speech, of assembly, is among the very fundamentals of

democracy and all of them would be nullified if freedom of the press be successfully challenged,”
maintained US president Roosevelt.

This is an era of satellite televisions, internet connectivity, and mobile telephony. US constitution
categorically forbids: “Congress shall make no law abridging the freedom of speech or of press.”

ROLE OF MEDIA
The role of postmodern media is being debated across the globe

The role of postmodern media is being debated across the globe. All kinds of
media have their own peculiar character and function. Of late social media has
come up as a force to be reckoned with and is directly challenging the power of
mainstream media.

This medium is cost-effective and allows an individual to be a writer, reporter,

composer, commentator, editor, broadcaster, and thus opinion maker at the same
time.

Functionally, the media in Pakistan can be regarded as a fragment of global media.

Its details are as follows: 121 TV channels (six PTV channels, 89 private channels
and 26 foreign TV channels with landing rights); over 500 regular dailies and over
800 periodicals; 138 commercial FM radio channels; 64 Pakistan Broadcasting
Corporation (PBC) stations, and 34 PBC-owned FM channels; and 31 million
internet users, and among them are about 11 million Facebook users, two million
Twitter users and hundreds of thousands of bloggers.

The role of media in Pakistan can be categorised as stated, expected, perceived and
actual. The stated role of the media, according to Briggs and Burke (Polity, 2009),
takes the form of a triad comprising information, education and entertainment. The
perceived (often misperceived) role of media is commercialism not
professionalism, speed not accuracy, events not processes, glorification of violence
not peace, and subjectivity not objectivity.

As expected by some Pakistanis, the media should function as the fourth pillar of
the state, and act as a means for the government’s accountability. The media
principally objects to being a pillar of the state as that would forfeit its freedom,
which has been guaranteed in Article 19 of the constitution.

It is exhibited alike in the Jeffersonian, Nixonian and Chomskyan ideals of media

freedom, though in differing tones, with no less applicability to the information
space of Pakistan. State-media relations in the country are no more authoritarian,
regulative or paternalistic. The media has already entered the age of freedom,
albeit at a price. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, 74 media
persons were killed in Pakistan from 1992 to 2013.

The fundamental difference between media in the west and in Pakistan can be
found in the pattern of progress. In the west, society transformed first and
gradually steered the growth of media. In Pakistan, the media has taken the lead
and is striving to help transform the state and society. This is the actual role of the
Pakistani media, which can be discussed from seven different angles.

First, the media has contributed significantly towards political awareness. It is

playing its role as a gatekeeper of democracy in line with the ideals of Quaid-e-
Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah.

Second, the media is acting as a string of federation from the Khunjrab Pass to
Karachi. It binds all federating units into an intangible cord of nationalism. In this
manner, it is playing its role in solidifying the Pakistani identity higher than sub-
nationalist identities.

Third, the media is striving for a positive relationship change by mending the
ethno-linguistic, religio-sectarian and politico-economic fissures and fault lines,
thereby transforming the environment plaguing the Pakistani society. It has formed
a digitised ‘social capital’ through interactive social media networks and is
working to build an informed and pluralistic society.

Fourth, the media of Pakistan is part of the global information environment. Today,
the issues facing Nawab Shah and New York, Lahore and London, Jacobabad and
Jakarta, and Peshawar and Plymouth are not diametrically different from each
other. Media is a means for enhanced interconnectedness besides improving
Pakistan’s image.

Fifth, media is helping the state and citizenry to combat direct and structural
violence by cultivating the cognitive environment. Swat is a case in point wherein
media played a consequential role.

Sixth, the media is a domain of opportunity for many Pakistanis. With some $4
billion investment, the electronic media employs more than 0.2 million people.
Print media and the cyber domain have an equally significant contribution.
Seventh, outlaws and offenders are scared of the media’s role as a mirror of the
state and society.

In the final analysis, the role of the media in Pakistan remains positive whether we
examine it in the light of the policy change theory (Shanahan et al, Springer 2008)
– what media is doing – or normative theory (Clifford Christians et al, Illinois,
2009) – what the media ought to do – or any other theory of communication
studies.

The media is defending the cognitive frontiers of humanity. It is a sign of hope, a

symbol of freedom and an island of optimism in Pakistan. One shudders to think of
a Pakistan without media. Certainly, the media must do away with the ills attached
to its operational methodology, but they pale into insignificance when viewed on
the larger map of its role.

Blessing or curse?
There was a time when PTV and the leading newspapers were the main means of
information for us. When families settled down before the TV for the 9 o'clock
news. We have come a long way since then. We now have a number of English
and Urdu newspapers, and more are coming up. There are Pakistani editions of
international weeklies. Pakistan has close to a hundred TV channels. But have
things become better in any way?

With TV news channels competing amongst themselves, the ugliness of our

society has been laid bare in our bedrooms. On a typical evening, we watch
scuffles between the police and the public, see the burnt body of a child or the
corpse of a child murdered in a domestic fight, the pleadings of a mother looking
for her lost child. And, once in a while, cell-phone-camera recordings of young
men being clubbed to death. This in addition to depressing stories of corruption in
some department or the other; the public scolding in court of some member of the
bureaucracy or of a politician; predictions of an impending shortage of sugar or
other some essential commodity, and how the country is going to run out of petrol
in a week's time; the incompetence of the government with regard to Pakistan's
financial problems, including the galloping circular debt. The ugly squabbling of
politicians makes you think that if these are the people who are our leaders, then
God help us.

Yes, the resurgence of the judiciary and the media are great achievements, but have
they helped us become a better nation? Although many scandals and corruption as
a whole have been exposed, there has not been a single conviction worth
mentioning. While the press throws up corruption stories, the corrupt seem to have
become more thick-skinned. Example: there is little reaction to the hue and cry in
the water and power sector. For one year we have been hearing about the rental
power projects scandal and the indictment of the RPPs contained in an ADB
report. But has anyone been held accountable, or even exonerated, after a credible
enquiry?
While all these exposures produce no results, the exposures have depressed and
demoralised the public. Meanwhile, the world thinks of us as a nation of cheats,
and potential donors don't want to trust us with money. Despite the media
exposures, we have slipped in the global corruption index from being the 42nd
most corrupt country to the 34th most corrupt.

Perhaps the media blitz will lead to maturity in politics? But even that does not
seem to be happening. During civilian rule in the fifties, the average tenure of our
governments was less than a year. In the nineties, during the next civilian rule
between 1988 and 1999, our average tenure of government was two years. Now we
are eager to get rid of the government in less than three years. So the current level
of political maturity has not been enhanced by the extensive analyses that we get to
read or listen to.

Unbridled media freedom is causing immense despair. We read of Karachi

businessmen wanting to move to other countries. I am not for a minute suggesting
that this explosion of media coverage should, be reversed. But there is need for
intense introspection by the media, which should devise a code to ensure that the
oft-repeated line that "our job is to report and not bother about its impact" does not
lead the country to despair and destruction, while the corrupt, with their thick
skins, continue to prosper.

‘Media’s growth over past decade a success story’

The impressive growth in Pakistan’s media over the past decade is a success story
in its own right. However, citizens in some regions – specifically conflict-affected
areas – are still yet to reap the full benefits of the vibrant media scene as regional
journalists, apart from often lacking professional skills, remain under frequent
attack.

To help the local media keep up with the growing demand for trained professional
journalists and access to reliable information, the Government of Denmark on
Friday announced its support for a two-year programme aimed at improving the
Pakistani media.

The project will be implemented by the International Media Support (IMS), a

media development non-profit organisation, which will work in collaboration with
several Pakistani media support organisations.

The project was launched on Friday by Danish Ambassador Jesper Moller

Sorensen at a ceremony that included panel discussions with key media
professionals, political representatives and media development practitioners.

The panel members discussed the state of Pakistan’s media industry, with
particular focus on the imperatives for media professionalisation. Participating in
one such

discussion, Ambassador Sorensen said Denmark was pleased to support a project

that would help improve the conditions for professional journalism in Pakistan as
strengthening the media’s role in some of the most remote and difficult areas of the
country remains a priority.

While he spoke of the media as the ‘backbone of a democratic society’ and

highlighted its crucial role in shaping successful democracies around the world,
Ambassador Sorensen was also quick to acknowledge the challenges under which
regional journalists – and especially those reporting from conflict affected areas in
Pakistan – are forced to work in.

“It is the regional journalists who play the important role of highlighting socio-
economic challenges in far flung areas which, otherwise, are neglected by the
mainstream media,” he said.

Ambassador Sorensen also noted that following the devolution of power to local
governments in over 100 districts across Pakistan, district-based journalists have
become even more important players in the evolving scenario of power devolution
in light of the increased political and development activities at the local level.

“Pakistan’s regional language media can play a significant role in consolidating the
gains made so far in the civil and political processes by focusing on serving the
needs of citizens and fostering a sense of inclusion among marginalised
communities by advocating for human rights,” said Ambassador Sorensen.
“The emergence of a vibrant media sector over the past decade has played a crucial
role in Pakistan’s evolving socio-economic and political discourse. But media
workers, especially those employed at the regional or provincial level, are still
often untrained and underpaid.”

In addition, he said, threats and violent attacks continue unabated with an

estimated 100 journalists having been killed in Pakistan over the past decade.

Ambassador Sorensen also spoke of the gender inequality prevalent in the media
industry and said that it was not just a local issue as the same problem can be seen
on a global scale. “Of the nearly 18,000 journalists in Pakistan, less than five
percent are females,” he said, before adding in a lighter vein, “However, if you
compare the number of female Danish ambassadors with the number of male
Danish ambassadors, you will notice a huge imbalance there as well.”

Agencies add: Among the other prominent personalities who spoke at the event
was senior Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Sherry Rehman, who highlighted
the corporate business model prevalent in South Asia’s media industry as the main
reason why journalists here are forced to forego ethical practices and do the
owners’ bidding.

“Bonafide journalism is required to raise questions on public issues,” she opined,

“However, the business and journalistic aspects may not always collude. To report
independently, one would have to face various challenges as media houses are
easily pressurised by political, religious and ethnic groups.”

Sherry too acknowledged that the journalistic community was one of the most
vulnerable in Pakistan. “Journalism is not a job. It is not about selling something; it
is a career where one’s top responsibility is to help define the public good and
defend those ideals,” she said.

PPP Senator Taj Haider said some true journalists actually wanted to reflect
society’s issues but, in the face of pressures from militant groups and media house
owners, they are often powerless.

“Do we really expect that in a corporate media model, voices will actually be
raised for the rights of people?” questioned Haider.
“Sometimes, media house owners tend to believe they have more power than state
institutions. That is when we see them ridiculing these very institutions as well as
political forces of the country,” he added.

The senior PPP leaders also touched upon a largely ignored subject; that of labour
rights in media organisations.

“There are several instances where we have seen journalists fighting for their own
basic rights as owners refuse to pay salaries for months on end,” said Haider.

Owais Aslam Ali, secretary general of the Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF),
informed the audience that Pakistan was among the few countries where
community radio stations were not permitted.

“Locally, there is no trend of non-commercial media platforms. The government

fears the spread of uncontrollable propaganda through community radio stations,
therefore, it does not allow for their operation,” he said.

Ali maintained that, despite the varied issues being faced here, the Pakistani media
was still doing a commendable job. “Adhering to values of professionalism is not
an easy task, but Pakistani journalists are still doing some good work,” he stated.

“You have to be impartial, fair and unbiased in your coverage and I don’t think the
local media has done that bad a job. Of course, it is not up to the mark but
producing what they are under such tremendous pressures is no mean feat.”

Senior journalist Iqbal Khattak was of the view that Pakistani media had come a
long way despite the lack of a conducive environment. “The electronic media
especially lacks in ethical and professional standards. Often, there is no cohesion
between the newsroom and reporters,” he said.

Media role always constructive in society

The topic of debate in some quarters today is that media is playing an
important role in society. There is majority of people who agree to the
statement but there are persons in corridors of power who disagree
ambiguously. One begs to differ from the latter in the national interest. But,
before placing any argument before the readers in favour of one’s point,
there’s need to remind them what Pakistan’s founder said during struggle for
an independent homeland for Muslims in South Asia, and after that.

Talking with journalists of Kashmir in May 1944 Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali

Jinnah said the Press is a great power, and it can do a good — and it can do harm
— to people. If it behaves in right manner, it can guide and instruct public opinion.
In March 1948, he said freedom — which includes freedom of media — does not
mean licence; it doesn’t mean that you can behave just as you please and do what
you like, irrespective of the interest of other people of the country. Here’s a point
in the Quaid’s statement. However, the fact is that professional media persons, who
believe in objective journalism, are counted among the intelligentsia and they have
been the pioneers of any movement for freedom in all countries of the world. A
movement for freedom does not exclude the freedom of media from its manifesto.

So, the print and electronic media have always played an important role in
liberation of nations, and that is why the Press is called the fourth pillar of the
state. The other pillars are the judiciary; the parliament and the administration, also
called the executive. These three pillars have to work in the interest of the state,
which means if the executive, the parliament and the judiciary perform their duties
honestly, if they co-ordinate and co-operate with each other, and the fourth pillar
provides them strength by means of good editorials, articles and columns, then
they’re boosting the state morale. But there’s another indispensable institution, the
armed forces, acclaimed as the fifth pillar of the state. All the pillars do a
memorable service to masses if there’s excellent harmony among them.

Notable is the Quaid’s message to an English newspaper on its first anniversary:

“The Press is a vital necessity for the progress and welfare of the nation, because it
is through the Press that a nation can be guided and its opinion can be moulded for
the furtherance of activities in all departments of life.” He once said journalists
serve both the public and the government by criticizing the government freely,
independently, honestly — which is an education of any government. One can say
candidly the print media, before and after the establishment of Pakistan, has played
an important role in the making and development of the country.

Media resisted censorship skillfully, fought back restrictions on the media in the
form of the Safety Act and Press and Publications Ordinance 1963 and similar
measures in 2003 and 2007. In a nutshell, the media launched united struggle
against the black laws and eventually won freedom. Nevertheless, the cost has
been pretty heavy in terms of life and money.

Bearing in mind the messages and speeches of the father of the nation, one can
assess, as a good judge, the media men and women are positively playing a vital
role today also, along side the judiciary. They haven’t forgotten the duty and
responsibility which the Quaid-i-Azam had pointed out, more than once, before his
death. They’re dedicated to the cause of the country and its people, especially the
downtrodden. Does anyone in the so-called democratic set-up need to learn that
both print and electronic media have faith in the destiny of Pakistan? One of their
concerns as true patriots is to see for themselves that what they write is
constructive, informative and suggestive.