In recent news, the European External Action Service’s East StratCom (the EU Disinformation Task Force) revealed that the website, Eptoday.com, apparently a self-proclaimed magazine for the European Parliament in Brussels, had been republishing a large amount of news. Amongst its content was a large number of articles geared to be related to minorities in Pakistan and it was found to be tied in with think tanks and NGOs under a guise, with 265 media outlets spewing anti-Pakistan propaganda. The end-control linked back to New Delhi Times. This news has come as no big surprise to many. We had to accept and understand ourselves that these things exist and have been substantiated with another menace that had seeped through–the existence of the keyboard warriors and their hired hands sent to create havoc and bring forth disrupt by the push of buttons and misreporting. It is a convenient means of modern-times hybrid warfare. This is a global phenomenon with trained media cells spreading disinformation via social media, which has become the source of attaining news.
Using trending topics and environmental issues as keywords with fully substantiated “research reports,” these keyboard warriors raise these reports from their desks and home computers into mainstream journalism. Whatever is negative is the highlighted topic of the day; projecting an image so that somebody researching Pakistan online would only find the worst-case scenario.
The landslide of misreporting and sensationalist culture with that one-sided approach has also trickled into several social media groups where they are easier to control (and hide) with one side of the story being circulated in specific circles. A prime example is of keyboard warriors taking up an issue and creating chaos about something they know nothing of. While everybody is entitled to their opinion, that opinion should not be lambasted repeatedly without any fact checks or background reviews.
Using trending topics and environmental issues as keywords with fully substantiated “research reports,” these keyboard warriors raise these reports from their desks and home computers into mainstream journalism
Recent articles showed a rather doom and gloom side to the Pakistani reporting culture mainly by old government supporters adept to show only a negative side of the Pakistani economy, culture and even incorrect historical narratives. All this surfaces at opportune moments as soon as precedents for any kind of good news come trickling in–be it a technological advance for the country, being listed as a top tourist destination, or at the time of hosting foreign delegations, each interim moment planned to keep the check, as they say.
The past should have taught us something about our neighbouring countries as well as about other agents who are bent on destroying us. Our deeper understanding must be that all bad news may not be any news at all. And yes, to be fair the same goes for good news or inflated reports of any miraculous turnovers. We must also understand to handle maturely both viewpoints. Neither the lacking economy nor even the national debt that was once told to me by a friend several years ago was removed by one of the previous governments. Paid-for fake news articles published in magazines have not brought us any joy either simply because they brought no welfare nor benefit in the long run for the country.
Is the age of yellow journalism a dying phenomenon with a few left-over mischief-makers? We are hoping it is. The 70 years of the resilience of this phenomenal country with its incredible history and people who have served it should have taught us something. This sense of patriotism may seem immature to the sceptic, one must agree that there is the force that has created a nation and has kept it going. For all senses of the word, we are still standing.
Time for a perception change for us and the country and to welcome a new age of influencers, reporters, media specialists, not creating sensationalism but straightforward news. The acceptance of the proper viewpoints to set our house straight and also highlighting the good that does happen in this country. Great news such as Pakistan being listed by Conde Nast as one of the top tourist places to visit in an article published in 2019. What a perception change for us as this news spread across different media.
The perception of Pakistan is slowly changing globally. Maybe that is what the old guard is afraid of. With our neighbours burning themselves down in their race to annihilate their population in this current period and the so-called elite who would murmur in drawing rooms that perhaps Pakistan should not have been made, must now look towards blatant facts. Your sentiments towards the neighbouring nation (which is eating itself alive in hatred and racial terrorism now targeting its people) are glaringly obvious to the world.
One fact is true that the media units set up under disguise will have nowhere to run to anymore. As one online influencer rightfully stated that it’s a bit obvious that every single adverse incident in a population of millions is focused upon and made into an issue (only to be raised further by keyboard warriors)-only because they have nothing else left to pick on.
It is time for mischief makers to drop the doom and gloom reporting keyboard warrior stance and for the nation to understand what the real agenda is. Having inserted themselves into every community, in different businesses, services and even newspapers, once focused upon the inevitable would be to look into these people and ask the imperative question; who the hell is paying for such opinions to be formulated from the background?
However, with the world’s perception of us now starting to separate propaganda and real news slowly about us as a nation we will be leaving this one on a good note as we welcome a New Year. It is here – one must always steady one-self with the belief, the tide of change is here and Pakistan was and is always here – to stay.
The writer is known for her articles on topics which have a socio-cultural impact