Sir: This is with reference to Munir Attaullah’s “Goodbye, 2008”. (Daily Times, December 31) Mr Attaullah, as always, makes very sensible points that unfortunately will be ignored by most of the people who should be reading them. Top of that list are the anchors and TV panellists who are so averse to presenting a balanced and factually correct analysis that they will even make things up. Their pursuit of sensationalism, ratings and hype has led to a real deterioration of the quality of discourse in the popular media today. Be it a discussion on the economy, on foreign relations, on terrorism or any aspect of domestic policy, it is all about who shouts the loudest and produces the most jingoist (and the most inane) ‘arguments’. Unfortunately, the person on the street has no option but these media outlets, and therefore, the ‘voice of the street’ is also polluted by the agenda of these TV elements. One hopes that they will mend their ways and aim to present balanced and carefully thought out views instead of whipping up unnecessary and unfounded fears and hype in the public. MAJEED AKHTARKarachi