Uzma Rana
An independent and free media is essential to ensure democracy (Warren Christopher)
In the age of globalization, one needs to understand the importance of media in regulating state affairs. Media owes power to influence every citizen of a state either directly or indirectly. It can make someone king overnight, or destroy one’s throne in a spur of moment.
Media has power to make or undo opinion of public towards a cause. It has role in education, health, economy, trade, politics, legislation, judiciary, and almost every department of country. A little disturbance in media propagation may reshape country’s image. Instability within media is a lead towards the instability of democracy. Shaken roots of any country may harm it more than anything else. Pakistani media is like a childhood companion of the country since 1947.
Both share similar ideas of stability, democracy, truth, and accountability.Media has hand in making a country’s way on prosperity track including policy making, Strick accountability, professional trainings, state ownership, education, opinion making, and a balanced system of checks.
Media has power to shape image of a country. There are a number of media theories explaining how media works in the building public opinion. Magic Bullet Theory, Cultivation Theory, Innovation of Ideas Theory are the most prominent ones. A lay man gets ideas from media and makes his opinions in light of that knowledge. Besides, making opinions of its country men, media also shapes image of a state at international forum.Almost every citizen has access to media in any form, may it be tv, newspaper, radio or digital media. Easy access of media to public minimizes the gap between public and their representors. A single layman has an impact in nation policy making. Media is truly said to be fourth pillar of state with a reason. It carriesresponsibility for well-being of society.
On contrary, unstable and biased media has every potential to destroy a whole society into ashes. Such media indicates illness of that society. A slaved and censored media shows a slave society. Chiefly privately owned media and absence of governmental checks are main reasons behind malfunctioning of media. Yellow journalism, sensationalism, propaganda, and muck racking has made media lose its credibility. Moreover, commercialism has taken over industry merely as a business more than as a service. Although it’s a need for every media body,it kills the spirit of underlying cause when done excessively and sensationally. Propaganda through media has very strong impact in implanting wrong agendas within state by evil doers.
Major wars these days are fought not in battlefield but through media. Cyber space provides such an efficient platform for the purpose. Stakeholders use this platform to gain their personal agendas successful. We have seen such examples in the recent past, where countries play against each other by hijacking media. Insurgencies are happening in our country as well, by distorting ideas of people, by brainwashing them. Years ago, Adolf Hitler added right for propaganda that; “if you tell a big enough lie and tell it frequently enough, it will be believed.” And, unfortunately, we see this happening everyday around us through the words of opinion leaders.
Media plays vital role in nation’s stability. It represents the true face of a country on international forum. World gets to know about a country through the narrative it media presents. It works likewise, an unstable and controlled media has all the power to shaken roots of sovereignty of the country. Today, we see major media houses are under influence of few media conglomerate. BBC, CNN, Reuters, Al Jazeera, Sky News, Arab News are big names working on some specific policies. World powers and economy giants of world do consider the importance of media power towards stability of democratic values of their states. Malcobn X says, considering the value of media, “the media is the most powerful entity on earth” Also that,” they control the minds of masses.”
Biased media gives undue favor to pressure groups who aim to harm country. This undue favor may cause hustle in regulation of media, where government finds hurdle in its way to perform. Biased media distort public opinion. It may mislead them towards wrong decision. History gives such examples during political campaigning where politicians use media to get maximum votes of public. Not only in Pakistan, but in big countries like America also follows the same course. We find that the only impeachment of American president, Nixon was purely a media-oriented scandal, the famous Watergate Scandal.
In this age we see media playing most vital part in political campaigning. From presidential election of USA to parliament election of Pakistan, there is always a hand of media in raising vote bank. In 2018 election, media’s role in political campaigning emerged as never before.
One of major hurdle in way to implement right policies, is the control of media in wrong hands, either from inside or outside of media houses. Illiterate,non-professional, elite businessmen control media and run for personal benefits. They know nothing about media codes and ethics but profit and loss. National interest is never their priority.
The competition among themselves and race of TRPs has surpassed the true motivation. In this race they even contradict with national policies and stands as a strong hurdle in way of regulatory authority. Internal conflicts between owners and regulators lead to destruction of peace in the country, that ends up at instability in state.In this whole process, poor countrymen pay the cost, engulfing wrong knowledge from screens and papers.
Weak media becomes an easy target for enemy of country. Defense of state becomes vulnerable. Your enemies lose no single chance to play with minds of your people. We saw that happening in 1971 when India uninvitedly overtook the ‘opinion making’ in the country resulting a condemnable disaster. This is whatJim Morrison has taught us that; “whoever controls the media, controls the mind.”
Media, in a way, also producing social strata among society whilegaping culture. From language to trends, and from diet to entertainment, audiences are divided. Media is staging people into modern and old-fashioned ones, where former find they superior to later and have a right to better decision makers for all. This sectarianism in society causes disturbance in social peace. The stability of media can be gained by proper law making and following codes and ethics. Since, 1947 a number of media regulatory laws and acts are being introduced and implemented in country. Different ordinances are enacting at the time. Press and Publication Ordinance (PPO)-1963, Press Commission-1954, Freedom of Information-2002, Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA)-2002 are all among this policy making and regulatory bodies.
Media group owners and journalists also have their own autonomous bodies for the purpose. Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ)-1950 gave it’s a-well-designed ‘CODE OF ETHICS.’This is very necessary for everybody, directly or indirectly associated with media profession, to know about basic codes of ethics and laws of media.
There must be proper professional training for media professionals. Also, media studies should be added in college and university education, as a compulsory subject. Article 19(A) of Constitution of Pakistan 1973 gives right of information to every citizen as fundament right, ‘Right to Know.’ In return, it is also responsibility of media houses to behave responsible towards its employees and public. Media should not share unauthentic, below the belt, content. They should not disinform people just for the sake of popularity.Both traditional media (TV, newspaper) and social media should be responsible enough not to share content to harm someone. Unfair and ridiculous slandering of celebrities and political figures must be checked. Gatekeeping should perform its due duty efficiently. Afterall; ‘’Freedom comes with responsibility.”
Under the shade of democracy, comes the concept of ‘Separation of Power’; which ensures media as an independent body like Legislation, Executive, and Judiciary. Media has underlying power to participate in administrative policies of state affairs. Many of the legislative decisions are taken in account of public interest through general media viewpoints ad public participations. When we talk about freedom and stability of media, censorship and accountability also comes in parcel. Media should neither be too controlled as it was in Zia’s era of Islamization, nor be too liberal as in Musharaf’s era of Westernization. There must be a balanced approach everywhere.A balanced approach in media is essential to ensure democracy.Media is, unarguably, integral part of democracy. Pens down, a stable media is a guarantor of stable democracy.
Uzma Rana
Lecturer University of Okara
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