Daily Times

The interim set-up is under increasing pressure from global media watchdogs to construct a safe environment free of censorship in which working journalists and news outlets are able to do their job; in the run-up to this month’s polls. In reality, the country’s electioneering politicians should have been the ones to issue such a timely reminder.

In the last week alone, caretaker Prime Minister Nasir-ul-Mulk has received letters from Reporters Without Borders (RSF), co-signed by its Pakistan-based partner organisation Freedom Network (FN), as well as the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) towards this end.

Yet the crisis facing the fourth estate in not one restricted to elections alone. It extends far beyond. Which makes it all the more worrisome that those courting the popular vote have not been particularly forthcoming about commitments to reverse this dangerous trajectory that seeks to leave the country’s media gagged and bound and economically crippled for not kowtowing to certain diktats from above.

This is a grave misstep. Ten years of uninterrupted democracy have, after all, left Pakistan’s media resilient where it should have been robust; fiercely independent. The constant struggle to push back can never be sustainable. Not in the long-term.

Especially when Dawn, the country’s oldest and much respected English-language daily, has effectively been blacklisted since May; thereby severely impacting circulation. Economic squeezes of this kind are meant to devastate. Indeed, when Geo News was taken off earlier this year — it found itself unable to pay staff salaries for three months. Thereby ‘forcing’ it into a deal of sorts. Dawn has thus far not capitulated. Despite being targeted twice in less than two years over its reporting content. The latest incident has seen assistant editor Cyril Almeida slapped with a legal notice over a contentious interview with deposed premier Nawaz Sharif. Yet it has been left up to the CPJ to point out the injustice: “The media should not be punished for reporting statements from politicians or political parties, even when they are controversial.”

Fast-forward to today and no lessons appear to have been learned. For those who would lead this country remain resoundingly silent on this front. Seemingly satisfied with televised trysts that best fulfil the collective sound bite fetish. All the while forgetting that that the media is not here to serve them.

That being said, the fourth estate must stand united; across both print and electronic platforms. This has not happened until now. And it needs to. Meaning that industry rivalries in terms of circulation and ratings wars must be put aside. Or else we all fall down. For it is far easier to divide and conquer a media that demonstrates no ethics of solidarity. This, in turn, diminishes the sacrifices suffered for democracy’s sake.

If we had managed this collectively, the politicians would not be able to wing it so easily now with their big talk of resetting any existing power imbalances between state institutions. Which, in reality, has translated into nothing more than bickering over each other’s political (mis)fortunes; including who may or may not be propped up by certain hidden hands.

It is the job of the fourth estate to constitute a system of checks-and-balances to temper power. Yet the first priority must be coming up with our own code of conduct based on the overriding principle of all for one and one for all. For as things currently stand, a news industry that is fractured will always struggle to do its job. And this represents the gravest betrayal of all.  *

Published in Daily Times, July 5^th 2018.