Exorbitant role of media in Pakistan and its negative impact
Suddenly my love for GEO, AAJ and related news channels has declined to an unacceptable and irritating level. “They pose”. Literally they pose things and emotionally target the people of Pakistan with the things which rationally doesn’t hurt as much as they by hype make it appear that nothing else is more important!
Its not that I have made up my mind so soon too quickly. Its limitless repeatedness is eventually becoming unbearable. Recently we have experienced the serious issue which eventually became a Drama by sicko comments of the incompetent journalists with negative reporting.
Geo’s standard has gone down significantly. In the sense that:
Ab Nawaz Shareef Airport mai Daakhil ho gaye hain,
Ab Nawaz Sharif Business Class PIA check in counter pai kharay hain.
Ab yeh ab woh…Ab Jahaz kai Durwazay band ho gaye hain….
What is this? This post is not formatted specifically to target NS campaign. I have finally come up with something to prove the point after series of watching the same kind of reporting in past one year over countless occassions.
Have you ever heard CNN or BBC doing coverage like this (in recent past at least)? It sounds and seems more of a FOX News coverage but even they aren’t this much. Don’t they have slightest idea what poison they are filling in our youth, young generation and even the elders of the society by emotionally torturing them?
I was thinking now they will start saying: Ab Nawaz Sharif Bathroom Ja Rahay Hain, Ab Nawaz Shareef nay Dakar Liya, aab nawaz shareef ko ___ aya. Come ON!!!
I know I sound disturbed (read angry). But let me say it. It is simply PATHETIC. As a matter of fact, Way too much of it.
These channels should be banned until they know anything about journalism and being reasonable in their reporting. Idiots. :|
C’mon Opee… sit down, take a deep breath, have a can of Holsten. :)
I partially agree with your views, these channels sometimes most of the time have been guilty of over-doing things with their moment-by-moment commentary. And I find them very irritating as well – but you have to realize that these channels are still in their infancy. Give them some time (a decade at least!), they’ll mature over time. Think of them as currently in pre-Fox News phase, then they’ll gradually become like Fox/Sky and then eventually like BBC/AlJazeerah. Banning them isn’t a solution – I’m sure they’ll mend their ways as more and more people complain about their reporting style.
There’s a correction in my comment above… our news channels are in pre-Zee News phase right now. I’ve never seen any non-Pakistani channel ever interrupting programs for those annoying #$%$##$ time-checks! The level of irritation can’t be described when those times-checks pop up – especially when a live program is on! :/
They are stupid to the uttermost extent. During the news the news caster would say ab ham apne numainde se rabta karte hain. And instead of reporting, the numainda sahib will start political commentary, and not even assesment, but about how hurt he is by such and such event and how wrong govt is. I mean there are talk shows for that, but they do it during reporting and news casting. Also there news caster would have no question to ask, they would just say App is ko kis tarhan dekhte hain, like we are not interested in the news but rather in the personal opinion of the guy.
Then they repeat same thing twice. A major general or a retired chief justice would be on air, and they will make him repeat one thing three times. :))
They do things in a way which makes me feel they are on pay roll from some particular side, but they do a very bad job at that. They think they can control public opinion by repeating same thing and engineered emotinal phrases, but beleive me in a year or two people would be sick of them. Thats why I dont advocate banning them. :))
Then there are some politicians who think that politics is perhaps a TV show. They dont have anything else to attend (No wonder they have no party or workers with them )except sitting in a talk show and saying things which make no sense at all. Yes I am talking about Imran khan here specificaly. But media would bracket him with PML(N) PPP JUI etc. sometimes they would say that Imran khan is cheez ko nahin mane ga. Like if he is your personal friend or is always on TV somehow makes him politically important ( that could make him a political comentator though). This is what used to be called kaghazi sher now we have electronic lions.
Over all they are highly unprofessional and biased.
As for irritation factor, i get extremely annoyed when the news caster would say “yeh bataye ga ke kitne admi halak hoye” repoter would say 10 ,(ofcourse complaining that authorities are not telling him anything) and the next monet she would say yeh bataye ga kitne halak hoye ( like he is a liar, or we are dumb or she is deaf)
He or she would do this to others too. I mean a high ranking official , like a maj general or retired hudge would say something, and the host will repeat kia app keh rahe hain so and so.. he would say yes. the host will again repeat , kia app hamare nazareen ko aik dafa phir confirm karein ge.
During the Lal masjid episode she even once said to DG ISPR app qaum ko koi pegham dena chahin ge. he said BB main yahan apni duty de raha hoon, qaum ko pegham dene nahin aya.
Also they would just cut anybody, a politician would be there talking and they will cut him in the middle saying buhat buhat shukriya app ka. And I have seen this happening to CM also, thats why I beleive they are realy free.
I have to agree, Pakistani media is its infancy. However I think Aaj TV is quite professional, their coverage of Lal Masjid episode was excellent and balanced.
I think the Pakistani media even today is far superior to the garbage Indian press.
Omer, I couldn’t agree more with you on this. I was glad to see that I am not the only one bugged (bugged, indeed, is a very small word) by this. It is manipulation, not the freedom of media and we so wrongly think it to be an advancement our country has made. The media has realized its power and ability to penetrate an innocent mind and they are exercising it so savagely. It must be stopped.
Yaar Very True.I had also been laughing at such news covering every moment…Even they said
“Nawaz Sharif nay Shalwar Kameez pehni hoi hai aur Shahbaaz Sharif nay pant coat.Shahbaaz Sharif nay linoon(lines) wali pant pehni hoi hai”. They have to prove ther are different and give news for every moment. Don’t u remember the descriptions when Chief justice was being taken away and same descriptions from countless people.
And not to mention their blatant coverage of blood and blown up bodies whether it’s due to a blast or the 2005 Kashmir quake.
They are really too much!
The same they did with CJ
‘CJ nay rukk kar pani piya’
‘CJ ki garri ko khota garri nay takar maar dee’
‘CJ abb Mianwali mein araam farma rahay hein’
CRAP!
@ Aamir Ali, I only get to see ZEE and that too for international audience and find it totaly garbage and even more annoying. But Indian press is quite different. I guess you meant to say this about thier electronic media.
I agree with Opee. Media is overdoing it.
There are two aspects, we should keep in mind.
1. We as viewer should mend ourselves, so that we may not be carried away with the media hype. We should know when t o stop viewing the repeated hysterics.
2. Media going through a turbulent transition, with a new found liberties. I hope they will settle to a saner posture in due course.
My observation of our favourite channels is:
· Geo has rapidly declined of its outspoken liberal attitude after Govt. attack. Especially Hamid Mir of Capital Talk has subdued from a Hi Fi Anchor to an average. His selection of the participants is also not suitable. Kamran Khan has also lost his investigating touch to a boring routine.
· Of all the channels, top two best & the two worst programs are presented by Aaj TV. Top program with best anchor nowadays is Talaat Ali in Live with Talat. Second best is Bolta Pakistan. Worst Programs are News, Views & Confused and Begum Nawazish Ali. Their humour often amounts to vulgarity.
· ARY ONE World often takes lead in news coverage, with Kashif Abbasi improving rapidly and challenging the top anchors.
Paak sar zameen pay qadam rakhtay hi nawaz shareef sahab aabdedah hogayay hain – phajjay kay sirri payay liyay lahore kay jiyalay raiwind may unka intezaar kar rahay hain
^_^
It’s all about power. they do it because, quite simply, they can. :) not that i’m supporting it or anything but just that i don’t see it ending any time soon! i mean why give up your power for the “greater good”?
CNN and BBC appear more professional — but that’s because you’re watching CNN international and BBC World. The channels are a lot different in the States or the UK (respectively).