Daily Times

The world celebrated World Freedom Day on May 3. For years the state in Pakistan has been intervening and curtailing the right of journalists to report facts and the right of the people to know. There were times when newspapers would go to print with blank spaces, and when men in uniform dictated to newsrooms on the selection of news. Those days are remembered as the dark times of journalism in Pakistan. There were prosecutions and many journalists happily spent years in jail for not backing off from their stance or for standing defiant in the face of state repression. Having passed through those tough times, the media in Pakistan valiantly entered the era of freedom some eleven years back. This much-needed respite came with the proliferation of the electronic media. The voiceless state that Pakistan had been was suddenly open and expressive on every possible thing. The newfound freedom however did not conform to its dialectical twin, responsibility, which was required to restrain journalists from abusing the power of the pen or factual knowledge. This sudden freedom made some good waves as in the coverage of the lawyers’ movement. However, it also developed a breed of journalists who together with the powerhouses that newspapers and electronic media had become, cashed in on the vulnerabilities of the corrupt politicians. The nexus between corrupt politicians and a few unscrupulous journalists turned journalism into a commodity that could be bought for perks, privileges, money, etc. The recent case of the ministry of information’s secret fund heard in the Supreme Court has revealed the darker side of the freedom of the press in Pakistan. The irony is that instead of owning the problem and addressing it befittingly, neither the media houses nor the associations of journalists, editors or publishers gave a way forward from this state of affairs. This was a golden opportunity for the media to regain its lost reputation and credibility.

The spilt beans can still be gathered. It is a matter of taking responsibility and it would be better if this awakening comes from within the journalists, editors and owners of the media houses. We have laws; it is just a matter of putting them to work. Already Pakistan has become one of the most dangerous countries for journalists, and now with the credibility of the media at stake, it is a challenge for us to prove our worth. We should not allow this press freedom day pass without looking inward. *