In the good old days of PTV, news meant sitting in front of the television screen at 9 ‘o’ clock to get one’s daily fix, and only then would many households settle down for their dinner. And, after that, people mostly discussed political situations over cups of hot chai or paan in their lawns. Back then Pakistan was not as newsworthy internationally but now happens to be one of the greater producers of news and, therefore, the nation is addicted to breaking news like other people are to drugs. From an elite and ‘important’ person down to the layman, everyone here has a strong political opinion and they believe only theirs is the right perspective. “Nahin nahin apko asal kahani pata nahin hai janab” (no, no you are not aware of the real story, sir) is often dished out to anyone with a differing opinion. Pakistan currently has over two-dozen Urdu news channels while India has half as many Hindi ones. When one starts deconstructing the local media, the realisation that news is actually entertainment for Pakistanis dawns upon us. India has Bollywood and news channels are our Bollywood. People develop crushes over news anchors just like others around the world swoon over celebrities from the entertainment arena. The females on our television screens seem to be selected only on the basis of their conventional beauty. They look the same, speak in a similar fashion and even weigh the same making it hard to tell them apart. It is all about the form and not the content when it comes to these ladies, whereas reading the news should have little to do with physicality. It is soothing to the eyes; many males would disagree with me on this one. It is the same logic as “PIA has really buddhi (old) air hostesses, it is no fun flying with them”. Female objectification continues in the name of progressive ideas. There is one piece of breaking news every 10 minutes or so. Speeding tickers and fiery red screens blind us ever so often. No news is ever simple news, it is ‘breaking’, big and boisterous. Flipping through the channels one feels as though we are in a perpetual state of emergency. News producers are just standing by to depress us further. News of any massacre must translate into happy business for them. They start with their “Yeh news sab se pehle humne di aapko” (we brought this news first to you) and keep on reiterating it till we go “haan bhai pata hai, aggay barho” (yes we know, move forward). In the future, we may even hear something like this: “We were the first ones to report this plane crash; we got to the scene even before it happened.” Needing to be the first is ridiculous and is obviously aimed at grabbing the most eyeballs and beating competition. Our misery is their business. These channels are not playing on our side; they are only interested in making a spectacle out of our pain. Too many events, too many names to remember, I simply cannot keep up with the news of Pakistan. There is information overload on our screens. Anybody is a taziakaar (analyst); their conspiracy theories and shouting styles have people hooked. There is a dearth of intellectuals, as anybody who has been following news for some years becomes an expert on politics. Proper analysis and thoughtful reflection are mostly missing. Are these news channels helpful in our understanding of the real situation or are they just an eyewash? Creating chaos, keeping us mentally occupied. That is all. As a society we need to start questioning everything that is thrown towards us to evolve into independent thinkers and that needs to happen now. Having had the privilege of switching through Indian and Pakistani news channels simultaneously in North America, I can vouch for the fact that both sides are great proponents of jingoism. They do a great job of igniting hatred for the other. One can be going from Aaj Tak (India) to ARY (Pakistan) and be surprised to find similar patterns of projection. Take for example the ceasefire violations that happen often on the border; both sides blame each other and you can never really tell who initiated it. At this point, the common man understands his neighbour through the prism of partition, Kashmir, entertainment and cricket only, and a lot of it brews abhorrence. Direct access to each others’ news channels would help dispel a lot of misconceptions and soften the hearts of the people; this is where the media can play a constructive role but, of course, they are banned from beaming across. When Times Now is viewed in Pakistan or Hindustanis get to watch Dawn News they will get the chance to see the daily lives and issues of the other and realise that we are not much different, even when it comes to propaganda. Hyper nationalism needs to take a backseat; we do not need to cultivate more Sunny Deols on either side. A middle-of-the-ground joint news channel, perhaps based out of Dubai, with an equal number of Indian and Pakistani reporters and employees can venture into an area unexplored so far. This can help diffuse the tension created by the establishments of both countries. The media also ought to realise that with great power comes great responsibility. The recently held anniversary of the Army Public School (APS) incident was celebrated like an event the nation is proud of rather than a mourning of the fateful day. The public on their part should also find hobbies to keep themselves occupied with and not fill their time with only consuming news. Critically thinking, the number of aspiring journalists in the contingent of students should be an alarming sign; it is almost as if we are all expecting bad news to be forever generated out of this soil and are keen on cashing in on it. This land needs heroes and heroines who will take the narrative forward and not just people who will keep on commenting on its disasters. Pop the news pill once a day as an overdose can cause headaches, high blood pressure and nausea. The writer is a freelance columnist with a degree in Cultural Studies and a passion for social observation, especially all things South Asian. She tweets @chainacoffeemug