hmm… a lot of brouhaha being made about Geo and Ary being off the air waves in Pakistan. Don’t get me wrong.. I am all for freedom of speech…but when you’re in a postition where people take your word as the gospel truth… a lot of thought needs to go in to what you say before you say it… Take for example one scenario
Geo starts to run a ticker… RUMOURS that Gen Pervez Musharraf is under house arrest. Next thing you know the markets panic, stocks plunge, investors panic, want to pull out….and you start a domino effect of even more crisis and turmoil in an already sensitive country. Politicians showing their pull on the streets which makes things look even worse… and we go on and on…
as journalists…its our job to report FACTS, not sensationalize with speculations… its also our job to look at ALL the FACTS. The media has not been very responsible in this aspect and needs to learn from its past mistakes. Having said that the press should be given its freedom…. and hopefully it will be a maturer media that grows from strength to strength
its very surprising to see, a media person like you is criticising media in a very pro-govt tone. Another thing which surprises me that why ARY and GEO are being singled out of herd.
Is dawn ready to abide by the new code of conduct provided by the dictator?
Besides, the choice is always ours; what to watch and what not to.
Comment by aMmAr — November 17, 2007 @ 11:58 pm |
I agree completely… the choice is ours… please understand I am not singling out Geo or ARY
just discussing them as they are the ones who have been shut down… Also… I am not necessarily pro govt or anti govt… i am not a political analyst …just an observer and trying to see things from the larger picture… I think too often we just look at NOW facts without putting all the points in place..
I am not with the admin but Dawn has a reputation of trying to maintain an unbiased stance and again…reporting facts.. infact.. if you watch Dawn you may notice that our policy generally is not to necessarily be FIRST with the news… but to be absolutely sure of the FACTS before they are reported on tv… that is a stance they still hold to no matter what the facts are. Again i would like to repeat I believe in freedom of speech and press… but with that freedom comes a certain responsibility
Comment by ayeshahalam — November 18, 2007 @ 1:53 am |
Dear ayesha,
You are blaming the stock exchange drama on channels like GEO.. nice comment
In this fortunate Pakistan, everything is above the law. Do you know who got the benefit from stock show on tht particular day? … Big ones who sold thier holdings in the morning by selling this idea that emergency/ML is good thing for market/economy. Then rumour was spread by these people and that too on screen at stock exchange… Investors especially small ones sold thier buyings and these big ones then bought these stock at lower rates….
Definately making millions…… should we blame GEO when Govt itself negated the rumour once it was spread all over Pakistan….
Sorry to say your comments do not hold ground.. I assume you are the one for whom removal of respectable judges was a good step!!!! Enlighted!!!!
Comment by FSM — November 18, 2007 @ 3:22 am |
I smile because we all look for someone to blame for something… we all seem to need a punching bag…
Let me start fresh and you can scroll up to see I am repeating what i said in my earlier blogs…
Let me make clear.. I support freedom of the press. I think it is integral. Geo and ARY need to be stood by and allowed back on. Having said that… I think the media needs to also take responsibility for what information they put out there
Secondly, I am giving an example of how through information not coming from a point of view of facts can have a domino effect and be dangerous in its capacity to destabilize a country.
Again, you have the right to agree or not…that is your prerogative, which is why i love blogs… and all of us having the ability to voice our opinions.. and we can agree to disagree if need be.
Peace
Comment by ayeshahalam — November 18, 2007 @ 9:47 am |
PS. Regarding the judiciary, I think the judiciary needs to be free. But also shouldn’t we question the integrity of the judiciary? Why do we forget to look at the past and the facts? for e.g as i said earlier… the present judiciary took oath under the PCO too… what happened to the judges who refused at that time? shouldn’t those judges then be reinstated as they held their ground right from the very beginning??
Regarding the corruption that does exist in the judiciary… should that not be examined? and just take the present word that is being spewed out without looking at where those words are coming from? just questions….. I like to look at facts
Comment by ayeshahalam — November 18, 2007 @ 9:50 am |
one more comment… for a moment….lets stop taking sides and say either pro or anti… and lets just examine what’s happening in as unbiased a view as possible… i also think that perhaps we come to a point where no matter what the govt says we say its wrong and bad without trying to understand where they are coming from. Same is true of certain politicians… I believe its time to examine what is coming out and see if it holds true or not and then form an opinion… there are some points where you may agree with a politician and some points where you may agree with the govt… …yes? no?
Comment by ayeshahalam — November 18, 2007 @ 10:29 am |
Dear Ayesha
Well said – you are absolutely right. Freedom of expression is most important but media responsibility is equally important. I am gald that you have the courage to call a spade, a spade!
Comment by Raza Rumi — November 18, 2007 @ 11:28 am |
“Pakistani Media Empire is doing what Noam Chomsky calls “manufacturing consent” for a legality-obsessed, over bureaucratized non- political regime of professionals that takes over the corporate interests of Pakistan Army. This is a clash of Pakistan Army’s corporate interest with the emerging business and professional class. Both despise the people who are the legitimate masters of this land…”
More here
http://pakteahouse.wordpress.com/2007/11/10/rebirth-of-street-fighting-days-politics-return-to-pindi/
Comment by Pak Tea House — November 18, 2007 @ 11:33 am |
no offence ayesha but you sound like a complete apologist for the military — i suppose it never occurred to you that the biggest violators of the constitution are actually the men in khaki — i suggest you look up their oath and read the 1973 constitution in full
Comment by omar r. quraishi — November 18, 2007 @ 1:26 pm |
hahaahah Omar I am certainly not apologising for the military…and the violations that were committed, there have been many violations….but not every move would fall into that category… I think just because it wears a uniform does not necessarily have to be bad. By that order would you consider every woman who wore a dupatta on her head and belonged to the Bhutto clan bad…or every bald politician from the Punjab bad? I think one has to look at the individual in question and what they are trying to do for the country. For example I don’t personally support Imran Khan’s politics but I admired his courage and supported him for having the courage to call Altaf Hussain for what he is… don’t know where that movement has gotten to at this point… but I admire him for doing that.
Similarily i feel that the good needs to be looked at and encouraged no matter where it comes from and until we are willing to call out what’s right and what’s wrong on both sides of the fence instead of fashionably going after whoever is in power and only them… we just have a catch 22 situation. Yes the govt should be held accountable…but just because the people on the other side are screaming doesn’t necessarily make them innocent either…and that should be looked at as well
Comment by ayeshahalam — November 18, 2007 @ 1:58 pm |
Hey ayesha. Looks like you are now going to be labeled an anti-people element
Its ridiculous the way people tend to take such strong emotional statements without rationalizing their thought process. I liked the way you are trying to make people see all sides of the coin. However I will also give you my sympathies in advance as i know the futility of trying. On a more interesting note, I see “Manufacturing Consent” was quoted as an example of how the Pakistani generals are trying to influence media. I dont know if they read the same book as i did but what i got from the book was entirely different. Its like game theory where each actor is trying to maximize their benefits. In that context the media is there to serve itself and not the people as it likes to portrya. You already know my thoughts about the “bottomline” perspective. To give you a western example watch “The Insider” ( the story of how the cigarette industry tried to hide the harmful effects of nicotine). What was most illuminating was how the producers of “60 minutes” were prepared to oblige the tobacco industry, in order to preserve their advertising income.
I am equally puzzled about the switchover that the judiciary has done in the past one year. From being “lame duck” judges who took oaths under the PCO of 1999 how did they become the Lions of 2007? Where were principles when they repeatedly endorsed the military takeover of 1999? or the 17th Amendment? What changed? Now I am not a conspiracy theory buff (there are way too many theories already about: we seem to have had become a totally paranoid nation) so I am not going to speculate on the possible causes. However this is a job that the media has to investigate! That is if the media is really serious about its role as a watch dog. Incidentally isn’t the judiciary also a part of the government? ( Pardon me for posing so many questions!)
And for the numerous supporters of Geo/ Ary networks who will read this comment and castigate me for being a fascist, i would recommend that they watch “Talk Back” hosted by Dawn every sunday evening. Now that is an example of objective analysis and factual questioning. And plz do not insult my or your own intelligence by trying to portray Dawn News as pro-government. See the interviews conducted of Sheikh Rashid, Farooq Leghari or Mirza Aslam Baig (for example) and see the way they were grilled on facts not on conjectures or on emotional pandering.
Once again, keep up the good work. There HAS to be someone who is willing to speak up and tell the emperor the he is not wearing clothes. And no I am not referring solely to Mush
Cheers
Niazi
Comment by Niazi — November 18, 2007 @ 7:27 pm |
hey once again. Sorry I could not help but add on another comment. Dictatorship is commonly castigated for being unrepresentative and illegal. But what happens when the legislature starts acting in the same way? Specifically Ayub Khan imposed Martial Law in 1958 and sent home the then Legislative assembly. But may I ask, why did that assemble not hold elections for 12 years? To refresh your memory, elections were held in 1946 (i.e. before partition) and the assembly so elected became the first constituent assembly of Pakistan. However this same assembly refused to hold elections and served for an unprecedented period of 12 years at a stretch! Were they really representatives of people? Maybe we should thank Ayub Khan. Else we would have still have had the same assembly in power even now lol
Cheers
Niazi
Comment by Niazi — November 18, 2007 @ 7:35 pm |
Niazi’s comments are brilliant
Comment by paktea — November 18, 2007 @ 11:19 pm |
Ah yes, the old cannard that Geo sparked the stock market crash by running a fake story on its news ticker.
Now i happened to be around when an acquaintance was in touch with his broker at the stock market. The rumour spread rapidly from the time the market opened. No one quoted Geo as the source of the news. People were constantly trying to contact acquaintances in Islamabad and many people at the stock exchange were bemoaning the fact that there was no independent news channel on air so that the rumour could be confirmed or denied. It took a while for the good General to deny it and longer for people to get the information from a source they trusted – i.e. NOT PTV. The common feeling amongst many in the stock market was that if independent news sources were still on air the rumour would not have lasted for as long and caused as much damage as it did. Its no coincidence that Business Plus and CNBC were on air the very next day.
The plurality of views that an independent media presents is what ensures its balance. Do you believe every single speculation you hear in the media? No. Neither does anyone else as long as they can see a variety of viewpoints and hear a variety of opinions. Was the Pakistani media immature? Sure. We as a nation specialize in immaturity. Does this mean it should be muzzled/censored/banned? No. Like everything else in this nation, it needs time and patient institution-building to mature.
Comment by misanthrope — November 19, 2007 @ 1:58 am |
YES!!!!!!!! thank you
Comment by ayeshahalam — November 19, 2007 @ 4:28 am |
Why does media have to be unbiased? Yes, it preferably should not be untruthful but unbiased? No way !!!
Its a free world. If one does not like what is shown on a particular channel then one should use a remote control and switch channels.
Dictatorships try to control free flow of information especially in their dying days. So any excuses for these actions, are just lame excuses.
If people really think that GEO and ARY are spreading lies, then they would not trust these and switch to other channels. Banning these is a sign of desperation of this regime which is on its death bed.
Comment by Adonis — November 19, 2007 @ 12:30 pm |
Ayesha,
The market did not ‘panic’, so to speak, as a result of Geo sensationalizing the news. The stock market slid 5% the day after emergency was declared which is sufficient proof that it’s not the media you can blame for this. Also I think you’re not really looking at this in historical perspective which is extremely important. Whenever a state of emergency is imposed in a country investment always slides. For the next decade or so after such an act by the government there is a great deal of investor skepticism. This isn’t due to media hype it’s just the simple fact that that country is characterized by political instability.
As for reporting ‘Facts’ from my academic knowledge of political journalism there is no such thing. There is always an opinion or a perspective that accompanies those facts and I think that is totally justified. And it’s not like our media is JUST representing one view. There are channels like PTV which give the government’s perspective on the situation. The fact that they aren’t as effective as dissenting news channels goes to show something fundamentally important. This concept that the media completely shapes public opinion is not completely correct. The media, and this is a proven “Fact’ so to speak, responds to what the majority wants to see and the fact that the majority wants to see this shows you just how much support there is for the current regime at this point in time.
As for your response to Omar Quraishi’s comment that not all army men are ‘BAD’ so to speak and you cannot generalize across people according to their physical appearance, the way they dress etc I think you missed a very important point he was making. He used the phrase ‘men in khaki’ symbolically to refer to the army as an institution. While every single soldier might not be a ‘bad’ person, that is not necessarily the bigger question at hand. The army as an institution has done a lot of harm to the country in terms of not only the wealth it has hoarded but how it has constantly made the road to democracy unachievable by stepping in everytime and ensuring no democratic government gets too strong so that it’s own power as an institution is not limited.
There is a reason why half the world’s educated population, scholars, human rights activists, lawyers, political journalists propound some form of democracy. Freedom of speech is a basic human right. We are all entitled to it. Just because someone has a difference in opinion and is opposed to your view or actions does not mean you abuse your power and silence them.
We all need to recognise that.
- Mariam Sabri
Comment by Mariam Sabri — November 19, 2007 @ 12:43 pm |
Mianthrope, No one is against Freedom of the Press. I am disgusted with Geo/ARY simply because i believe that for them sensationalism/yellow journalism became the norm rather than the exception. I am sorry but I dont buy your whole argument about “immaturity”. Take Geo for an example. Geo is owned by Shakil-ur-Rehman who also happens to own “Jang” and “The News” newspapers. Shakil (and his father before him) have been in the news reporting business for decades. All of the senior reporters as well as most of the junior staff of Geo have served an extensive apprenticeship in the print media. So we are not talking about novices as would be the case for a start-up. An organization is not like a baby that it needs extensive time to grow up. It will perhaps take time to finesse a niche for itself. Yet the knowledge that organizations have is distributed among its people and most importantly DERIVED from the same people. Like u said, Geo (the organization) may not have had too many years under their belt but the employees of Geo are seasoned reporters who know well how to present news and did not have to climb up a learning curve.
In an earlier comment posted on this blog I have presented what I believe was the actual reason. For your benefit I will repeat my argument. The news media is NOT reporting news for philanthropic reasons. They are in the BUSINESS of reporting news ie they do so with the objective of maximizing their profits/bottom line. The major sources of revenue for any news media is advertising income as well as income derived from people making phone calls / sending sms’s. All of these sources of income are directly correlated with the size of the viewing audience. Thus each news media will try to attract as large an audience as possible. In western countries this ambivalence is well recognized due to which companies like NBC, CBS,CNN et al try to maintain a “wall” between the money generating and the news casting departments. Not always successfully, as one can see by watching the movie “The Insider”. In the case of Geo/ARY I do not believe that such a “wall” existed i.e. that these two channels were trying to maximize their viewing audience (and their revenue stream) by sensationalizing news. The Lal Masjid is a good example of this.
Now this is a theory and cannot be proven until one does some hard research i.e. looking at incremental cash flows and figuring out jumps in audience strengths. Yet I believe that it is a far more valid perspective vis-a-vis the “immaturity” argument.
Cheers,
Niazi
Comment by Niazi — November 19, 2007 @ 1:23 pm |
err niazi — when a legislature acts dictatorial there is a mechanism (elections — surprise surprise) which allows for a correction — thats the way it happens in democracies – when a dictator does that there is no self-corrective mechanism — duh!
ayesha — your stand is exactly that of a pro military person’s — that probably is factually correct — doesnt mean you are a soldier yourself — however in your comments you appear to be selective in whom is overstepping its boundaries — in any case the media actually is a mirror — if 30 odd suicide bombings are taking place in the country in like 3-4 months then to paint it as a safe and secure place to move around in would be irresponsibile journalism —
niazi — im afraid the media model that you speak of is something that works more in the US but not so much in pakistan — of course the media isa business just like any other but a channel or newspaper that is credible will have more chances of being a good business proposition as well — because more people will watch/read it — all i am afraid you overestimate the role of marketing and management in editorial decisions in the media in pakistan
your example of lal masjid is a terrible one — ’students’ taking the law into their own hands and kidnapping foreign nationals, abducting women and conducting their trials and asking them to ‘repent’ for their sins would be news enough and does really need any sensationalising as you say it — no offence but your arguments are quite simplistic — you sound like an expat — also your claim that in the west this ‘wall’ is there is quite laughable — check out http://www.fair.org by the way or media matters or news hounds and then talk
Comment by omar r. quraishi — November 19, 2007 @ 2:23 pm |
better still also watch 30 rock
Comment by omar r. quraishi — November 19, 2007 @ 2:25 pm |
Omar I am glad to hear your opinion. And no I am no expat. Very much a scion of this country, residing in this country and very much concerned about what is going on
However I do refuse to appropriate blame in a simplistic manner to any one single source. Thus the “men in khaki” have played a part in bringing the country to this stage but so have the politicians, the bureaucrats, the elite, the masses, the judiciary, businessmen, media, religious bigots, you and I.
In case you missed the point, the first legislature of this country REFUSED to hold elections for a period of 12 years. Thus your statement “there is a mechanism (elections — surprise surprise) which allows for a correction” is not valid. In simplistic terms, if a legislature does not hold elections then how will the self-correcting mechanism come into place?
Do I over estimate the role of marketing and management in editorial decisions? I wish I were doing so. I presented my argument as a theory and i am not going to claim that it is a factual assessment until there is a study done on factors such as the delineation of responsibilities in the news organizations, the impact of advertising revenue and incremental cash flows et al. However even in the absence of such a study, I am not going to “under estimate” the role of marketing and management in editorial decisions. A the end of the road all newscasters and news gatherers understand that their pay check will be forthcoming only as long as the company, they are a part of, is a valid money gathering entity.
The “wall” that i had referred to is very much fallible and if you were to read my comment again you will see that I had myself quoted an example of its fallibility by asking people to watch “The insider”. For your benefit I will go into more detail. The movie covers the expose of the tobacco industry by which it came into light the fact that these companies knew that cigarettes were harmful to humans. This led to the subsequent heavy fines imposed on the industry as well as the bans on cigarette advertising. The most pertinent part however was the FACT that the producers of “60 Minutes” sat on the expose and refused to air the show completely due to their fear of loss of advertising revenue from the tobacco companies.
Finally the Lal Masjid saga. You say that “’students’ taking the law into their own hands and kidnapping foreign nationals, abducting women and conducting their trials and asking them to ‘repent’ for their sins would be news enough and does really need any sensationalising as you say it”. I perfectly concur until the part about the sensationalizing comes in. To give you an example of the “sensationalizing” is an oft repeated statement aired that went some thing like “Why did the government set up the check posts and if the students rioted in the first day they were perfectly correct”. Firstly given that these “’students’ taking the law into their own hands and kidnapping foreign nationals, abducting women and conducting their trials and asking them to ‘repent’ for their sins” were a legitimate law and order menace for ANY government (dictatorial or democratic), the government had full rights to take any preventive or reactive measure to ensure that no further incidents took place. This is one of the duties delegated to the government by people. To make people believe that the government committed wrong by setting up the check posts is definitely sensationalizing and creating controversy where none was actually present. That is the the sort of irresponsible journalism that I am against. I am however a fan of objective analysis and factual questioning like that conducted on shows like “Talk Back”
Also I am a private individual who has full rights to my opinions. The “freedom of speech” that we all talk about and want… right? Just because I hold different views from yours does not make me less intelligent or less patriotic or less committed to making this country a better place for us and our future generations. I think you would do well to learn that lesson before using sarcasm or trying to do character assassinations
Cheers
Niazi
Comment by Niazi — November 19, 2007 @ 3:15 pm |
[...] are philosophers that have the ability to change the course of the world. The most popular blog at wordpess is about cats. Yes cats doing funny things. One can witness 300 and more comments under [...]
Pingback by Nothing business its all personal… « R O N I N — November 20, 2007 @ 2:30 am |
when you’re in a position where people take your word as the gospel truth
I agree with you Ayesha that when this kind of situation arises you need to be careful with your words and I would also supports DAWN NEWS as it is the not only English news channel in the country but also it provide more facts then to create hype in the market. I hope ppl wil automatically understand who creates hype?
Comment by Hassan Abbas — November 23, 2007 @ 2:02 am |