The year
2002 was a eventful year in the history of electronic media. During the
Musharraf long regime of nine years many private channels were launched. Before
the emergence of Private channels, there was only one government owned PTV
channel which only favored the, who so
reigning government and eventually lost its credibility among the masses. The
first popular private channel was GEO and after GEO numerous other private
channels also came into existence.
Undoubtedly, the news coverage of private
channels was much better than the PTV. But now there are fathomless private
channels in Pakistan and unhealthy competition has developed among the private
channels for ratings. To ameliorate, the rating of their channels, the
management and employees of private channels can go to any extent. Although, competition is not a bad thing, but in the
rivalry of private channels, the ethics of journalism are being badly
transgressed. Indeed, the language used in TV talk shows of all private
channels is vulgar and non-journalitic .Even the senior anchorpersons
themselves use abusive language and when politicians get embroil in dog fight
and use derogatory words against one another, the anchors play the role of
silent spectators and never interrupt in the argument of their guests.
The prime
reason why the anchors don’t muddle in war of words of representative of
political parties is that they just want to make their program sensational and
earn more ratings than the host of other channels. Due to the cheap
competition, anchorpersons have forgotten their prime responsibility that is to
impart knowledge and awareness to the general hoi polloi.
In the
program of Express News which is one of the leading Tv channel of the country
Talal Bugti, head of Jamhori watan party and Barrister Saif ur Rehaman of (MQM)
used abusive language against each other and the host Mr. Kamran Shahid
remained mum and permit them to use bazaari words against each other which is indeed very pathetic. In another
instance, Firdous Ashaq Awan abused Kashmala Tariq on live Tv program and the
outcome was the same, Javed Chaudhry like his co-journalist, Kamran Shahid
didn’t breath a word. In the program of Dr.Shahid Masood, a veteran journalist,
Marvi Sarmad (a freelance journalist) and Zaid Hamid ( Defence analyst) used
extremely harsh and unethical word against each other and the program like the
most of our Tv talk shows ended without a conclusion. It seemed that both these
intellectual were brought to the program solely to expose each other and not
convey intellectual messages and a senior journalist like Dr. Shahid Masood
instead of pacifying them added oil to fire which was appalling. Hassan Nisar,
who is considered a think tank in Pakistani media abused Mushaid ullah Khan of
PML(N) and a senior politician like Mushaid ullah Khans instead of ignoring
Hassan Nisar retaliated with even worse utterance. It is said that when you
come across nonsense ignore it with dignity, but tolerance seems like a extinct
word in our society.
The above mentioned journalist like Dr.Shahid
Masood, Hassan Nisar and Javed Chaudhry are considered as opinion leader, one
who can form, mould and change public opinions. The common people, owing to
their limited knowledge can’t form a opinion of their own and they bank on
these opinion leaders to form a opinion. But one may wonder what sort of
opinion the people will form after watching the talk shows of these opinion
leaders.
Fights and
pejorative language has become a daily routine in the talk shows. But now, I
think enough is enough and this nonsense has to be curbed. The objective of talk
shows should be to inform and generate awareness among the masses not to earn
ratings. If the anchorpersons don’t have the capacity to impart knowledge to
the people than they should only abide the ethics of journalism. Its time for
Pemra to inculcate the anchorpersons the ethics of journalism and take
stringent measures against those who contravene it.
