MEDIA CIRCUS & PAKISTAN

BY AUTHOR

"Television is not the Truth. Television is god-damned amusement park. Television is a circus, a carnival, a traveling troupe of acrobats, storytellers, dancers, singers, jugglers, sideshow freaks, lion tamers and football players. We're in the boredom killing business." Paddy Chayevsky probably would have said this to interpret the attitude of second-generation's Americans depiction and sentiment and humor through Television in America at his times, but it wouldn't be wrong, if we today generalize the functioning of our 24x7 TV channels on such ironical statement, particularly, When an average Pakistani starts his day by listening morning news and wraps it up by watching the late night's prime time opinions, all just to keep himself informed of truth and reality.

No doubt, Media can profile growth, governance, can serve audience to be their third eye, a prolonged ear so that they be clued-up of future trends and the holder of an accountable perception regarding their public representatives, policy and institutions, yet today one can easily lament that in pretext of information and entertainment, commonly called infotainment, media, particularly Television channels, have perceptually crossed all the social confines and have kept the freedom of expression for granted.

The most distressing aspect to one is that under present media boom number of Channels have been ridiculing the worth of journalistic standards. The major indictment to any independent analyst would be their sensationalization to construct news rapidly instead of waiting for it to occur and complete logically. This on-going dramatic hunt for creation of veracity at Prime time circus has been visible to the extent these days that one would find it hard even to differentiate between the contents of a mainstream channel and a low rate eveningar. The media thus one can say has transformed totally into a circus presenting an artificial polarized world to stretch contents and time to serve advertisers interests.

Sheer sensationalism and an over-enthusiasm to "report" with its glorification and appreciation under breaking News, seek out of certain social and political issues, have now started to give the impression of media to its typical viewers who had been watching it regularly for certain years as a business with desperate acts of pathetic dynamics.

The quality of the coverage of the May 12 events, Kashmir Earthquake, 2010 floods, NRO, and other legal issues by most television channels, though elaborate, was alleged full of insensitivity, a branded haste and propounded populist view.

In the name of 'analysis' and 'political discourse', most news channels have now decided to operate on a popular formula that was formerly associated with Urdu Mainstream press. The formula, which once asked newspapers to cover more of those events and issues which had their pitch against the immediate government, and consequently those papers grabbed more readership, circulation and advertisements than their neutral counterparts. This may be one of the reasons in establishing such long lasting fad where every Pakistani with average intellect feels obligatory to criticize the sitting government otherwise his patriotism like National interest would be at stake. This also gave promotion to the filthy culture of TV talk shows as the amount of unnamed blunt disgrace for each other determines the success of that Show and channel among audience today.

Violent and brutal imagery being shown on some channels these days appears to be a serious threat to youth- the majority in Pakistan- who, are trying to foster an attitude out of what has been extended to them as an inspirational ideal by the society. The instinctive human lust for power and popularity, according to some, is compelling youth under media influence to boost the crime ratio in Pakistan, particularly in cases when our depressed youth had been reportedly gone for an end instead of mean. The popularity of 'gun toys' among children and their rich sale in Pakistan is another socio-psychological facet to this aspect. To judge impact, it wouldn't be an exaggeration in saying that 'toy Gun' is the only toy for sale at present especially with the wander sellers of KP Province.

Apart of this psychological depression, Glamour glitz, extravaganza and lavish living standard shown in entertainment side is usually followed-on by frustration in the country whose more than 17% of total population is living below the poverty line and is dependent over this magic box as a solitary amusement might in their leisure. The closure of alternative media in form of cinema and CDs shop in KPK province has increased the might of TV. This dependency has been increasing persistently due to the amount of economic crisis, law and order, sectarianism and formative terrorism in the society and its happening that in order to achieve the same luxurious life as shown on TV a deprived develops a cathartic attitude towards them through crimes and corruption, the things which were unintentional on a part of media.

With a shift in focus from quality to quantity to catch more advertisers, a flood of programs copying the content lines from across the border, unfortunately, had increased dramatically with the passage of time. It's obvious from the content analysis that re-telecasting an Indian Program has become more the matter of competition and marketing tool for every TV channel.

The most horrible thing to learn was media also being used to support objectives of Miscreants. The media due to lack of professional approach unintentionally served the miscreant's agenda in fear proliferation as TV channels in order to get scoop gave full coverage to miscreants, even interviewed some Taliban and Al-Qaeda leadership and aired their activities ranging from showing the military hostages to blowing of military vehicles. This boosted the militant's morale to the extent that they gathered more influence and started disseminating contents through Compact Discs and went for establishing mobile FM Radio Stations. This also endangered the life of journalists and many were assassinated in this pretext fulfilling the lines of their professional duties.

However, the biggest contribution the media has made to the society is that it has politically sensitized the masses towards democratic process to an extent that it has become virtually impossible for anyone to revert it. For instance, we can say that during the movement for restoration of democracy participation on such large scale became possible only due to media, and in the past elections the reason behind people flocking to polling stations using their right of voting against dictator can easily be attributed to TV channels without any second thought, such may be the case for National and International NGOs taking interest in flood Relief activities at that larger scale. In this connection, the photo session and media coverage with maroon people as a proof of political presence and party publicity also compelled the politician to travel to flood-rotten areas.

Similarly, what more than 65 years of political wrangling hadn't done, these channels successfully did in past eight or nine years and people through media in Pakistan have gained greater political wisdom. The fact to this is that a kind of unformulated opposition in the masses can be significantly felt today against feudalistic approach, power politics and social extremism. The dynamics of these relationships with state as well as among society have changed strikingly from past when a detribalized society wasn't been shaped by the 24X7 screen. The rise of tareek-e-Insaaf can be viewed in this perspective.

To be conclusive of what we have been saying is, we can say that our relatively young enthusiastic electronic media has committed few mistakes and sacrificed definite standards operating under certain impulses evolved out of our own endogenous circumstances, yet the most positive thing for media critics is that media itself has been critical of its role and debates have been ranged by them to analyze what social responsibility demands of them. It's obviously more democratic in nature, and unlike old state run channel, the inclusion of opposition's point of view by these channels, the information for viewers today is processed in much effective manner. Similarly, Growth of electronic media has also provided its viewers the alternative options to listen and watch what they please. One can say that the era of forced information and forced entertainment has come to an end in Pakistan. But for an average Pakistani, Who believes in media's might, it is still a circus with scripted vivid truth and reality.