{"id":10251,"date":"2021-04-29T09:15:00","date_gmt":"2021-04-29T04:15:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pakistanpressfoundation.org\/?p=101471"},"modified":"2021-04-29T09:15:00","modified_gmt":"2021-04-29T04:15:00","slug":"muzzling-the-media","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pakistanfoemonitor.org\/muzzling-the-media\/","title":{"rendered":"Muzzling the media"},"content":{"rendered":" $\"Muzzling$ \n

WITH World Press Freedom Day around the corner, we are offered with, if nothing else, a delicious excuse to delve into the recent past and make some sort of an assessment, however vague, of where we truly stand \u2014 are the gatekeepers of our information free and independent and pluralistic, or are they controlled and gagged, and thus, perpetually afraid of what they may say, of the unspoken yet vivid lines they may cross, so much so, that rather than declaring the truth, as is their right and duty, they are compelled to whisper it, in riddles and rhymes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A very useful point of reference is the EU Election Observer Mission\u2019s final report on the 2018 general election, which noted that although our media appeared both \u201cvibrant\u201d and \u201cfree\u201d, its \u201ceditorial policies were carefully calibrated to downplay issues relating to the army, state security structures and the judiciary\u201d. In addition, it detected \u201cconcerted efforts to stifle the reporting environment\u201d, and concluded that in such circumstances, \u201csevere self-censorship was the safest way to continue publication\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even today, it offers fascinating insight. Firstly, the bizarre revelation that \u201csenior editors from liberal-leaning media houses received phone calls from state actors\u201d, who offered \u201cinstructions\u201d on how \u201ckey events and rulings\u201d ought to be discussed. A similar strategy was employed at local levels too, where \u201cdistrict information officers\u201d and \u201cother state actors\u201d offered \u201cadvice\u201d on how political parties were to be covered. Regrettably, the report failed to mention exactly who these \u201cstate actors\u201d and \u201cother state actors\u201d were.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stranger still is the erratic behaviour it attributed to Pemra, our chief media regulator, which stands accused of having displayed \u201cclear bias\u201d in exercising its authority. For one, it penalised \u201csix TV channels for violating campaign silence\u201d, but neglected to do the same when two other channels breached its guidelines by airing preliminary results \u201cshowing the PTI\u2019s victory\u201d. Furthermore, it took no affirmative action when cable operators \u201cremoved Geo News from the distribution list in cantonment areas and changed the channel placement for Dawn\u201d, or even when they completely pulled the plug on Geo News \u201cin residential parts of Lahore and Karachi\u201d for two consecutive days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The harsh truth is that our media operates in a dangerously negotiated space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When asked by the mission for access to its decisions on formal complaints, Pemra politely informed them that these were \u201cconfidential\u201d, a position also adopted by its sub-offices, none of whom were willing to disclose their records or provide details of their monitoring methods. According to the report (and according to common sense), these actions \u201craised questions about the regulator\u2019s motivation\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This was quite a damning indictment of state-sponsored repression of our media. An international watchdog (invited by our state for its supposed neutrality no less), evaluated that both electronic and print media \u2014 the largest disseminators of information to the general public \u2014 faced significant constraints in being able to freely report on matters of public interest, issues that deeply affected the lives and livelihoods of our people. That these observations were made within the context of a general election only adds insult to injury, for there is no time more decisive for a country than the tense few months in which it elects its chosen representatives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More crucially, it lent yet another (very credible) piece of evidence to the long-held claim that our state operates on a policy of actively attempting to, let us call it, \u2018muzzle\u2019 the media, for what it describes is a plain violation of Article 19, which guarantees both freedom of expression and the press, subject of course to reasonable restrictions imposed by law \u2014 none of which allow Pemra to apply discriminatory sanctioning policies or to turn a blind eye to the sinister machinations of \u2018cable operators\u2019, and certainly none of which allow state actors to pressurise media outlets into promoting any kind of narrative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You see, while our premier may claim that it is \u201ca joke\u201d to suggest that there are \u201ccurbs on Pakistani media\u201d, ground realities paint a picture that leaves little room for casual comedy. The harsh truth is that our media operates in a dangerously negotiated space. Journalists are routinely harassed, threatened, assaulted and even killed \u2014 all with impunity. Some find themselves faced with trumped-up charges, while others mysteriously fall off the grid, either to resurface after what trolls call \u2018software updates\u2019, or never be heard from again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All this has nurtured a pervasive culture of silence, where much of value is simply being left unsaid, and whatever is said is wrapped up in euphemisms. But euphemisms carry a danger of their own, for that which cannot be openly named becomes that which cannot be identified, and that which cannot be identified shall forever remain that which cannot be held to account.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since the election, things have become noticeably worse. Pakistan has slid from 139 to 145 on the World Press Freedom Index, and there has been a sudden uptick in novel suppressive tactics \u2014 only last month, a UN human rights panel expressed serious concern over what it said was \u201can alarming pattern\u201d of \u201cmeritless charges\u201d being brought against reporters and rights activists. If such trends keep up, the future may only offer bleak quietism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are no doubt a multitude of problems plaguing our media \u2014 from the malaise of yellow journalism, to insensitive reporting and outright bias. However, these are deep-rooted and systemic issues, which can only be corrected through transparent regulation and stringent application of the existing laws on defamation (preferably of the civil variety, since criminal defamation is quickly being abandoned for its potential chilling effects).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What must be understood though, is that underhanded manipulation of the media will not help \u2014 it shall only create further polarisation and fragmentation, not to mention risk pushing us further into the black hole of disinformation that already surrounds us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For citizens in a democratic set-up, a free flow of credible information is the only true source power. It tells us exactly what the state machinery is up to \u2014 its actions, its omissions and most importantly, its transgressions. Whosoever robs of us of this right, commits a traitorous and unforgivable betrayal of our constitutionally guaranteed freedoms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Newspaper: Dawn<\/a> (Writer: Asfand Yar Warraich)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"