Media is one of the vital institutions of a society. This institution
is regarded as a watchdog in a democratic country. Looking at the role of media
in Pakistan, we can say that it sometimes act as quite irresponsible but at the
same moment it is emerging as a tool of public opinion and fulfilling its
responsibility.
There is countless number of channels currently working in
Pakistan. Here, we come across a fact that each channel now presents talk shows
and political debates. In all these shows, sometimes they seem to cross their
set limits. It is imperative that the media works within the limits and some
rules and regulations as it is representing its country towards the whole world.
Besides exaggerating, they should look and resolve the matters positively because
they play a key role in formation of the trends, norms, values and culture of
the society.
On the other hand, media acts as a mediator between the
public and the politicians. It is that institution that somehow responsible for
the change that has started in Pakistan. By revealing the true faces of our
corrupt politicians and their ineffective systems, it has created awareness
among the people. The media especially television has emerged as the main
storytelling vehicle where the journalists are major players in identity
building. These journalists needs to be given the credit to create a sense of
belonging as well as encourage the youth of our country to stand up, fight for
their rights and act as a responsible Pakistani.
I think that the issue is that we expect too much from our media. The media's only job is to enlighten us with the current situation at home and abroad. We need to accept that it is a money making business, and personal interests will always be involved. We can only rely on our media to provide us with information, and we cannot expect it to revolt against corrupt governments or any such matter. Our media is liable too much, more than it needs to be.
ReplyDeleteThe mere fact that our university as an institution cannot hold talks over the present situation in Balochistan depicts the level of freedom the people of this "democracy" have. Yes, personal interests dictate the media's direction in Pakistan but i believe it is not free to act upon the entire range of personal interests it may have. The media is to gain by providing the people with coverage and news on all present happenings surrounding a country and Balochistan is the centre of all happenings at the moment. No one is to gain more than the media itself by engaging in public talks, providing coverage of the area and by holding interviews of people who are involved in the situation. But it is restricted and it is limited to manufacturing consent under the cover of a falsely named democratic country.
ReplyDeleteEven though the media today has great power and influence, it should not transform its right to inform into the right to offend. I agree with Sarim's point that the role of media is however, restricted and we are basically being shown what the govt wants us to see.
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