First they came for bloggers and other cyberspace users, and we did speak for them for a while. Soon, we looked the other way for we were not bloggers and cyberspace users. Then, they came for the electronic media and we did exactly the same thing as in the blogger episode, for we were not part of the electronic media and we thought nothing such would happen to us. Later, they – read the government of the day – ran after the print media and planned to slap laws to clip the free flight of the press through a proposed Pakistan Print Media Regulatory Authority. This happened during the previous Pakistan Muslim League-N government’s tenure. That government is gone with its anti-media plan buried, and now it is the media that is giving a fair voice to the party. Now, its successor Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf has also unveiled its set of wishes to clip the wings of the media by establishing media tribunals. The federal cabinet has approved ”media courts” for the speedy disposal of media-related cases in 90 days. Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Information Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan, who earlier announced consulting all stakeholders to form a media policy, stunned reporters by sharing the media courts plan which is now going to be presented in parliament. No stakeholders such as media unions, journalists, media houses owners and media bodies were consulted before the move. The envisaged courts will deal with matters earlier dealt by the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) and the Press Council of Pakistan. The new plan to take over the functions of PEMRA is as ineffective as is the working of PEMRA. The authority has openly been used by the governments to muzzle dissent. Before the opposition-led Senate rejects the bill, the government must take a saner approach and consult the stakeholders for a general consensus to resolve media related issues. If the government has an issue with the opposition, it should listen to Chief Justice Asif Saeed Khosa, who also highlighted reports regarding curbs on media. The government is advised to seriously reconsider this proposed law. Freedom of the press and free speech are the hallmarks of a good, vibrant and progressive society. A free, responsible press also provides guidelines for good governance. The media should also share the burden for showing a lack of will to follow ethics. Objective reporting has gradually been encroached upon by opinionated reporting and agenda setting for media houses’ financial gains. Perhaps such practices provide the government with the proverbial moral high ground, from where it can regulate the ‘senseless’ media. It is time for soul-searching for journalists too. *