Where's Sovereign's Right of Expression?
The media circus that has ensued in Pakistan post-private media is beyond any sane head. Since the opinion-making and evangelism in the nation has been given in the hands of people with 3rd Division BA/FA degree holder journalists, the country appears a chaotic fragile mess on idiot box. Recent mayhem, starting in reaction to Punjab Assembly's unanimous resolution against irresponsible journalism, has had media up in arms portraying the resolution as an attack on freedom of expression. In the whole one-sided hue and cry, what is ignored is whether the elected representatives sitting in the sovereign bodies have any right to express themselves or not?
It was a resolution presented by an individual elected representative and was adopted unanimously by the house. It manifests the will of the house which is the only representative body of the people of the province of Punjab. Rather than leading to any soul searching as to what went wrong, media is up in arms discrediting the sovereign institutions and the elected representatives.
More disappointing is the response of top political leadership. Rather than condemning the unnecessary politician bashing and scandalized being done by the media, and raising their concern against the most yellowish of journalism, the leadership has opted for the convenient route of justifying media's transgressions and irresponsibility. Political parties think that it is they who need media on their side. What they fail to realize is that because of lack of intellect and innovation on media's part, it is the media which needs political parties. If the leading political parties' spokesmen stop participating in the 7-12pm talk shows, every hour top of the hour, five days a week on a dozen and a half news networks, the revenue streams will dry for the media channels. It's not the media which is keeping polity alive, it rather is the polity that is the lifeline of the media.
If media wants to talk as a responsible entity for a framework where it is ensured its freedoms (which have not been stepped upon in the present regime), while agreeing to an acceptable accountability mechanism comprising a press council with powers to impose fines and order bans on anchors and newsmen who commit foul, it should be engaged in a dialog. If it is trying to bully its way through blackmailing on this issue and others, it's time to put the foot down. Realistically speaking, it seems the political class will fail itself again and thus will lose the golden opportunity to tame an age-old instrument of establishment.
I am not sure how many of us realize what is at stake here. But for me as an individual of Republic of Pakistan, I am raising my voice for the Right of Expression of the most superior and the sovereign body - the elected Parliament.
It was a resolution presented by an individual elected representative and was adopted unanimously by the house. It manifests the will of the house which is the only representative body of the people of the province of Punjab. Rather than leading to any soul searching as to what went wrong, media is up in arms discrediting the sovereign institutions and the elected representatives.
More disappointing is the response of top political leadership. Rather than condemning the unnecessary politician bashing and scandalized being done by the media, and raising their concern against the most yellowish of journalism, the leadership has opted for the convenient route of justifying media's transgressions and irresponsibility. Political parties think that it is they who need media on their side. What they fail to realize is that because of lack of intellect and innovation on media's part, it is the media which needs political parties. If the leading political parties' spokesmen stop participating in the 7-12pm talk shows, every hour top of the hour, five days a week on a dozen and a half news networks, the revenue streams will dry for the media channels. It's not the media which is keeping polity alive, it rather is the polity that is the lifeline of the media.
If media wants to talk as a responsible entity for a framework where it is ensured its freedoms (which have not been stepped upon in the present regime), while agreeing to an acceptable accountability mechanism comprising a press council with powers to impose fines and order bans on anchors and newsmen who commit foul, it should be engaged in a dialog. If it is trying to bully its way through blackmailing on this issue and others, it's time to put the foot down. Realistically speaking, it seems the political class will fail itself again and thus will lose the golden opportunity to tame an age-old instrument of establishment.
I am not sure how many of us realize what is at stake here. But for me as an individual of Republic of Pakistan, I am raising my voice for the Right of Expression of the most superior and the sovereign body - the elected Parliament.
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