“Anyone who challenges the prevailing orthodoxy finds himself silenced with surprising effectiveness. A genuinely unfashionable opinion is almost never given a fair hearing, either in the popular press or in the highbrow periodicals.”
This quote from George Orwell fits into the current scenario of Pakistani media. The media are under strict censorship that is silencing or blacking out any opinion that challenges the prevailing orthodoxy. It is as if there is a silent agreement between the mainstream media and the invisible forces to censor everything that challenges the status quo.
Protests against the alleged rigging of the recent elections are not shown; speeches by Pashtun and Baloch leaders are practically banned.
In the city of Mansehra, there have been reports of people shot dead during protests against rigging of the elections but not a single media outlet dared to report about it. The same is the case with the mainstream news websites, which are practicing self-censorship. Other than the Urdu news website HumSub, almost every other website is refusing to publish any piece on the involvement of the military establishment in staging an undeclared coup through engineered elections.
It is not only about politics. The mainstream media do not discuss social issues or the marginalization of the country’s minorities, as they have been taught that highlighting these issues is equivalent to defaming the country.
There is a vast breed of journalists who are happy to be dictated to by the establishment. This breed successfully maligns politicians and democracy and spreads self-created theories of international conspiracies to damage Pakistan. One wonders why, if international powers are busy all the time trying to destroy Pakistan, they continue to bail it out through institutions like the International Monetary Fund.
There is a vast breed of journalists who are happy to be dictated to by the establishment. This breed successfully maligns politicians and democracy and spreads self-created theories of international conspiracies to damage Pakistan
The media owners are certainly running the TV channels and publications for the sake of profit, but now journalists are also busy getting financial and other gains through aligning with the powerful elite. The business of manufacturing consent and opinion through Joseph Goebbels’ philosophy that repeating a lie again and again successfully delivers the desired results.
A whole generation of Pakistanis has grown up listening to propaganda, and as a result, the faith merchants, the military establishment and the judiciary are considered sacred cows. The right to differ is being usurped and dissenting from established ideologies is considered a crime. The debate culture is over, and it is accusations and allegations that are the order of the day. The more you malign opponents in the TV talk shows or in newspaper columns, the more ratings you enjoy.
It is all about ratings and approval now. Objective journalism vanished long ago: Facts are twisted, conspiracy theories are created, the anti-establishment and anti-faith-merchant voices are either completely silenced or given very little space.
The spineless media of Pakistan are trying to portray what has been ordered by the establishment. Many journalists have felt forced to turn to online publications to express their way of perceiving ideologies, but these publications are also being brought under strict watch by the invisible forces.
It is a pick-and-choose kind of strategy now – you have the freedom to criticize political ideologies and leaders but you do not have the freedom to question the invisible rule of the establishment. You cannot challenge the self-created religious and social doctrines, nor can you write or speak freely on these in the mainstream or online media.
This is the reason that for many Pakistanis the mainstream media, in particular, have lost their credibility, and they are turning toward online and social media for news and opinions. The growing tendency of the masses to rely on international online publications and social media has been keenly watched by the invisible forces, and local publications are under immense pressure not to publish any material that is not in line with the establishment. So it leaves no space for local dissenting journalists and intellectuals to speak or write freely, and that is the reason most of them are writing for international publications.
Yet it is not easy even for those who write for foreign publications, as there is always a chance that any one of them could go missing at some stage.
Media freedom could have been won by resisting the curbs, but unfortunately, the war for rating points and profit has led to the demise of the freedom of expression. Journalism was always under the influence of right-wing intellectuals and reporters and it eventually produced a majority of self-obsessed and sensation-seeking journalists.
On the other hand, Pakistani political forces too in their time in power never tried to guarantee freedom of expression and never stood up against the undeclared curbs on the media. So now that a “hail the king and long live the king” approach is being followed, it is a pick-and-choose kind of situation in both the mainstream and online media.
The profession of journalism needs the courage to speak the truth. If journalists and intellectuals cannot resist or they are not brave enough to fight for the freedom of expression, they should instead be called public relations officers.
Unfortunately, journalism has become a tool for gaining money, and it has opened the door for the invisible forces to exploit the weaknesses of journalists and the owners of the media groups.
Objective journalism in Pakistan died in the era of Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, or whatever was left after that has been successfully managed by the establishment.
By picking and choosing which types of freedom they embrace, Pakistani media have surely denied themselves the freedom of expression, and this has resulted in the demise of journalism and intellectualism in the country.
"Unfortunately, journalism has become a tool for gaining money, and it has opened the door for the invisible forces to exploit the weaknesses of journalists and the owners of the media groups" exactly the same way the writer of this article has managed to gain a huge amount of money though from the opposite camp PML N. Let such corrupt practice be ceased by the journalists if they desire to be called as the honest and true journalists.
I have no love lost for Trump. But his exposure of the MSM as Fake News is dead on.
Kudos to Pak Army to have done the same in Pakistan. The Media is irresponsible and must be curbed. "New" Pakistan must be a responsible one, and it starts with the Media. Gag the fake news.
Before us are two neighbours. China with a responsible Media, India with an irresponsible one. China pulled 700M out of poverty in last 15 years. In the same period Indian model has created 100-200 million "middle class" like Mr. Zafar aping the West, milking 1000 million destitute. Mr. Zafar should seek Indian citizenship and join the "middle class" and squeeze the poor. In Pakistan….
1. There was ISI interference in the elections
2. The opposition was hounded
3. The idiotic Pak voter was bought or goaded
4. Mr. IK was eased in
5. There was electoral fraud
6. The boxes were stuffed with fake ballots
7. ….
8. …..
I say, so what. Too bad it was not done 10 years ago. Whatsmore, who needs elections. What have they done for America, or India? Let us get rid of them altogether.
Was our Prophet elected? How many votes did he get? Did he have a majority? Are elections Islamic?
If you like democracy, go to India sir, and enjoy their circus. I remember Iran’s Ahmedinejad say on tv "We did not make the revolution to have democracy".
I hope these are the last elections in Pakistan. Cost $400 Million plus so much productivity. What a waste of time and money.
Zafar sahb……Hasan Nisar bilkul sahih kehta hae……..No shortage of lifafa journalism in Pakistan.
Haha, this guy is not carrying a lifafa, but a big bori (sack) full of dollars!
HK, idher ab 3-4 lifafay waalay aagaee hain. Every year their number increases! Who is funding them?