Whoever controls the media -- the images -- controls the culture- Allen Ginsberg, American poet and author
Media is a kind of platform for the nation to learn and experience the cultural, political and social changes around them. Therefore, it is the duty of the media to make effective use of this platform and influence the nation to move towards a progressive destination. The media of a country depicts its culture, its norms, beliefs, lifestyles of its people. So it is always a good opportunity to employ this medium to promote one’s identity to the world and get recognition among the world.
We have seen Pakistani Media evolve with time over the past few years. Ideally it is a great change in the history of Pakistan’s media that we have access to a lot of resources for information or entertainment. In view of the current situation of Pakistan’s Media, it has some shortcomings which need to be addressed. We know that nowadays electronic media is one of the most influential medium for our nation. There are a lot of news and entertainment channels providing us information as well as amusement at our doorstep. These channels tend to influence the thinking of a common man. People seek news from them and develop their opinions on their bases. Unfortunately, these channels present such pictures in the name of “truth” and “the real side” that instead of providing some solution; they create psychological problems and increase the worries of common man. There is no such news or information which positively affects the thinking of a person. There’s always bad news or discussions which are endless leading nowhere.
It is the agenda of these channels to provide some spicy news so that people prefer to watch their channel. There’s a race going on among them that whoever puts the breaking news first is the most efficient channel regardless of the sensitivity of the issue being discussed. When it comes to talk shows, there’s always an element of harassment of the guests/ politicians. The show looks like a fish market depicting the ugly picture of our country’s so called literate people. There are no such programs which provide some informative stuff or to guide our young generation for their future. There are only talks on hatred, political instability, murders, injustice, blasts etc. The print media is also doing nothing but just spreading anxiety among the common man. The newspapers are half filled with advertisements and the rest are just the hollow promises and political statements of our great leaders. Yet still they are comparatively performing well than the electronic media.
The entertainment channels of Pakistan are also flourishing well. However the strong inspiration of our neighboring country’s culture is invading our cultural values. The adoption of western fashion trends, propagation of elite living styles and trends, and unnecessary show off of expensive wears creates psychological pressure on the deprived segment of the society. Our cultural values seem to be lost somewhere. The occurrence of private channels has introduced freedom in such a way that has increased vulgarity in our shows. There is strong effect of west as well as Indian media on our people which is ruining our inherited beliefs. The media is the strongest source of inspiration for this generation therefore; it should be their duty to retain our beliefs and values. The media should stop the occupation of other cultures upon us. They should promote our cultural and social aspects so that our generations inherit them.
Media is considered to be the fourth pillar of the stare. Our media is at present only promoting an awful image of Pakistan. The point to be considered is that we should promote the positive image of Pakistan. The current situation of country has badly affected Pakistan’s image in the eyes of the world. People abroad consider us a terrorist nation and a nation losing its identity. We need to change the world’s opinion about our country and that can only be done through media since it is the voice of a nation. Apart from that Pakistan is a country which holds strategic importance for many countries, therefore, we should take advantage of this importance and should promote ourselves as a disciplined and rich cultured country. We should show the world that how blissful we are that we are enriched with such a beautiful country, having so many resources and cultural mix. We can benchmark our neighboring countries such as India and China. They are also rich in cultures and how they always promote their cultures and spread the message of peace and friendship. We have very powerful tool of media which can be used effectively to project a positive image of Pakistan and make ourselves proud as a nation.
