Daily Times

Sir: Article 19 of the Constitution of Pakistan reads: “Every citizen shall have the right to freedom of speech and expression, and there shall be freedom of the press, subject to any reasonable restrictions imposed by law in the interest of the glory of Islam or the integrity, security or defence of Pakistan or any part thereof, friendly relations with foreign States, public order, decency or morality, or in relation to contempt of court, or incitement to an offence.”

May 3 is being celebrated as Press Freedom Day since 1993. The theme of this year is Media freedom for a better future: Shaping the post-2015 development agenda.

The question is, is our media helping in creating the right perception about the country and solving issues on things like national interest, independence of institutions and the role of government and civil society. The entire discourse on media revolves around politicians. They have become celebrities. Apart from talk shows, even entertainment programmes invite politicians. Neither sportsmen nor drama or film artists or painters for that matter are asked to grace the show. Even if there is a dearth of talent in other genres, whatever there is could be utilised. The result is that overexposure of politicians have made them irrelevant for the people. The relationship between the state and its citizens is like any other relation, depending on mutual trust and respect for its survival. Our treatment of politicians, being the handlers of state policies and laws, largely depends on the perception we have about them. Media plays a big role in creating that perception. Is not Pakistan’s media working against the constitution by hammering into us 24/7 the follies of our leaders? Is not the media weakening the relationship between the state and society by convincing us that we are led by a pack of corrupt people who deserve to be mocked and stripped at the drop of a hat? There is a serious need to work on the content part of electronic media. Idea generation should be allowed to shift from vertical to lateral thinking and then be allowed to manifest itself.

ZulqarnAin Sewag

Jhang