Daily Times

Looking at the latest developments, there seems little chance of the judiciary/media storm ebbing any time soon. The implication of the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Iftikhar Chaudhry’s son Arsalan Iftikhar in an alleged corruption case unleashed a series of events, expanding into an undesirable scenario. The other name in the case, the real estate mogul Malik Riaz, who is the self-proclaimed endower of the Rs 400 million alleged ‘bribe’ to Dr Arsalan, after his deposition in the Supreme Court (SC), in an unprecedented move, held a press conference, giving rising to a number of objectionable accusations and questions. His next controversial move was his appearance on one of the leading channels in a two-hour interview given to two primetime anchors, opening a Pandora’s Box of controversies, which could only be termed shocking, revelatory and slanderous. As the tycoon gave longwinded explanations on air, what transpired behind the scenes became the real ‘scoop’. The personal talk/banter/arguments/ conducted during breaks in the interview, caught on tape and leaked on the internet, uncovered the unprofessional side of TV shows, highlighting the sordid games that certain so-called principled anchors play in order to enhance their shows’ ratings and for alleged material gains. Since the entire interview was based on Malik Riaz’s pending cases in the SC, his accusations against Dr Arsalan, his grouse against the judiciary for ‘delaying justice’ to him, and the justification for his inflammatory press conference, the leaked footage revealed that it was a ‘planted’ interview. As expected, the SC, taking notice, has formed a two-member committee for further investigation. This action flowed from a full court meeting of the SC, convened to ponder over the issue that according to the CJP was a malicious campaign to defame and humiliate the judiciary. The PEMRA chairperson summoned before the full court meeting, on reprimand from the CJP, offered a feeble explanation about the role of the regulatory authority apropos prevention of defamatory material against the judiciary.

An institution that should be above criticism and whose sanctity stands beyond reproach to be questioned and ridiculed in the print and electronic media is unacceptable to not just the judiciary but to all law-respecting Pakistanis. An exercise in manipulation of public opinion perpetrated by a few self-serving individuals brings into focus the uncomfortable truth about the ‘freedom’ of the media that must undergo an evaluation of checks and balances, essential for the growth and continuation of an industry whose basic premise is the presentation of truth. In discourses concerning the judiciary, where proper decorum must be maintained at all times, respect for the esteemed institution has not been a strong point of many overzealous critics of the SC in the media lately, thus bringing into focus the need to incorporate better ‘rules of engagement’. The toothless PEMRA needs to implement a stricter code of conduct regarding the presentation and promotion of sensitive issues, before the whole idea of freedom of the media is re-imprisoned by a state-regimented policy, becoming an echo of the time when it had no freedom at all. As the media highlights social, political and governmental issues, holding everyone answerable and accountable, it needs to be reminded that its actions have to be held to similar standards. Just as the positive contributions of the free media are substantial, amounting to popularity with the audience, credibility of presented material, better primetime slots, bigger salary packages and access to VIPs, the backlash, were it to come, would not be negligible either. The erosion of values and ethics in the media is a direct outcome of the irresponsible practice of too much power in the hands of a few, who do not have the intellectual, journalistic and moral credentials to become spokespersons of influential media houses to question, judge and castigate people they talk to on their shows. It is time to control and restrain objectionable material, and limit the powers of media personalities — ‘kingmakers’ — before the SC-suggested steps become media regulatory chains, curbing all that is good along with the bad in this industry. *