Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) recently issued a warning to three entertainment channels for airing ‘indecent content’. An official Twitter account of PEMRA posted a few TV show clips that had been deemed as ‘indecent’. This is not the first time entertainment channels have been warned on grounds of morality. Previously, the PEMRA issued a notice to a cartoon channel on similar grounds. The onslaught against entertainment channels leaves us wondering if folks at PEMRA only monitor drama and cartoon channels. Cat fights, verbal abuse and name calling have become the norm when it comes to political talk shows, but the media watchdog has hardly acted against any news channels for airing such content. Not to mention false accusations and sheer propaganda from all sides. A certain news channel has been inciting violence against individuals and groups that it considers its ideological rivals, but the PEMRA could not effectively act. The channel in question has issued decrees of treason multiple times. One of its anchors used the platform to make allegations of blasphemy and treason against human rights activists who opposed the channel’s one-sided reporting. PEMRA failed to check such transgressions. It seems that ‘indecent content’ is an easy target for the regulator. The media watchdog seems more interested in moral policing than improving the standard of television content in terms of education and information. PEMRA should not forget that its duties include facilitating and improving the free flow of information. Moreover, intolerance is on the rise in Pakistan and hate speech on TV fuels it. In the past hate speech on TV has resulted in murders. Also the content aired onmany news channels has become brazenly partisan, and at times libelous, with little or no check. Acting against incitement to violence, disinformationshould be as, if not more, important than invoking vaguely worded clauses on decency and morality.It is high time that PEMRA set its priorities right. * Published in Daily Times, August 19th 2017.