Media and Society
By akram saqib, 6th Aug 2012 | Follow this author
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Posted in WikinutNewsMedia
what role our media is playing today in changing the society and minds .is this change positive or negative.
Freedom of Press a boon or bane
World Press Freedom Day, Other Side of the Coin
On 3rd of May every year, soon after the termination of the Labour Day activities world press freedom day is observed. Freedom of press is a perpetual issue. There is always divided opinion over rights and duties of press. The media owners and journalists are always of the view thatthere should be liberty of they are bound to the futile rules and regulations and have no freedom to express the truth. On the other hand the ministries of the information argue that they have given extra ordinary freedom to the press. In fact these two opinions are the two extremes. The situation is in between these two states. Media insists on knowing more and more in order to astonish their viewers and readers. There is a lot of evidence that media aggrandize the matters always or conceal facts due to some overt purposes.
Each and every country has formulated laws to control the media. There is code of conduct for the journalists everywhere but many a journalist does not observe this code just for winning the report. There are also many evidences that media created stir among the masses without any basis.
The decades old stunt of Skylab and oft quoted aliens with their flying chariots are a few examples. The media crosses its limits and the states act. Sometimes the dictators clip the feathers of the media by imposing worst kind of censer on the news.
World news media is disinterested?
Media is not impartial and disinterested but always tries to win the favours of the ruling or opposition parties for funding and news. Every political party owns a news media or support and back it for its policy enhancements. If you go through the sources of income of the media you would definitely astonish. As our multinational corporations support a specific party or person the media also act like this. Often it works as the spokesperson of a specific party. If such media is demanding freedom it is against all the morality.Dr. Ahmad Shafaat (1986) wrote in this connection an article ‘’Western Media's Bias: We are Not Helpless Against It’’
I quote his words ’It hardly needs to be said that Western media is biased against Islam and Muslims: every Muslim who reads the daily newspaper(s) in his city, watches television or listens to the radio is well aware of this. ----This is confirmed by the experiences of many Muslim individuals and organizations.’’
Electronic intifada wrote in an article ‘’Child rights groups appeal against biased reporting on Palestinian children’’ on March 25, 2004
‘’the multitude of violations to Palestinian children’s rights that occur daily at the hands of Israeli forces in the illegally-occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip are almost entirely ignored by journalists and the media.’’1
Do journalists not work as spies?
There are many journalists who work as spies for the secret services of their states or many secret agents who work incognito as journalists. Here the status of journalist is crunched like the paper and he loose his dignity and honour. He might be a hero of his state but it is against all the international laws of journalism.2ABCDEFGH
Do journalists not black mail?
The journalism is synonymous to blackmailing in many parts of the world. You know it too. The concept of blackmailing came from the closed societies where there ere no laws but only the dictates of autocrats become statutes. The newspaper journalists and media men leave oppositionafter taking bribe. Same is done in the name of truth telling in the advanced countries. The parties or people who do not graft money are portrayed as villain in the media. In the third world countries it has become a kind of big business to squeeze money from the rich people.3ABC
Cable Operators Association of Pakistan (CAP) Chairman Khalid Arian has claimed the blackmailing of different news channels of Pakistan.
Do journalists follow code of ethics?
Journalism is a very sensitive profession. There are many occasions when a journalist has to follow some moral and ethical codes. The sanctity of home and family matters are the issues which a journalist should not touch without the prior permission. But contrary to this, we see watch and hear every day, the footages which are filmed or pictured without the consent of the performers. Often family affairs of noble families are revealed in the public. The issue of Lady Diana is the worst example of this phenomenon. It is sad that due to the fear of journalists she had to wash hands from her life. The president Bill Clinton and Lewinsky episode was also one shamefullyglaring example of the media acrobats. Media and media men have become used to wash the dirty linen in the public. Moreover The Christians desecrate the prophet of Islam and the Holy Book of Muslims to incite their anger. If Muslims protest they are called terrorists. There is no such evidence that Muslims have desecrated the revealed Books .This unethical conduct is camouflaged in the name of freedom of press.
Code of Ethics in Media
Journalists have to follow certain moral rules and responsibility while reporting about the social issues. They should be fair, accurate and honest in reporting. Ethics involve Privacy, Truth, Fairness and Independence but all these genres are now stale and old fashioned. The yellow journalism and aggrandizement are the new ethics being followed to distort money from the public servants and the general public all over the world.4ABC
International media reports impartially?
The media which has approach to all the continents is called global media. The hegemony of such media is understood. The world or global media is directed by the business tycoons and the world super powers. They often misuse it and consider it a propaganda tool. After the fall of Soviet Union the west was in need of an enemy. The media provided it one in the form of Muslims and Islam. Terrorism became the pretext and the media started its shenanigans. The time has come when, thanks to media the realities have gone deep in the graves of truth. The vicarious character of Muslims have been shaped and rebuilt by the media. The terrorism has been defined as the violent acts committed by the followers of Islam. Muslims are derogated every where in the world only due to the magic of media. In the past the soviets were the target of the western media that is international media too. There are many evidence s that crime was committed by a non-Muslim but at the first instance the media blamed the Muslims for such acts. There are many terrorists’organisations but only al-Qaida and other Muslim voluntary organisations have been depicted as terrorist organisations. The welfare organisations which were working for the downtrodden Muslims have been banned in the name of terrorism. The same kind of discrimination prevails everywhere in the world.The inspectors of arms declared that Iraq has no such weapons of mass destruction, the report is not permitted to leak and the American got passed the resolution against Iraq. When the truth comes out the aims have been achieved. In Palestine too the reports of atrocities of the Israelis are blocked but the slight agitation of the Muslim is highlighted internationally.
JOURNALISTS ACCEPT DONATIONS AND FUNDS
States fund media for their self interest. Some journalists work for the states in the name of patriotism and some in the name of money. Patriotism might be acceptable to some extent but money? It is an open bribe. Not only states but also interested parties also involve press in their business. In this age a lot of business cartels have their own press and TV channels. Here in Pakistan a well known multinational corporation runs an express news channel as well as newspaper. Such companies and corporations monopolize the markets by blackmailing and threats to the officials and opposite business stake holders. It is obvious that workers of these Medias would harp on the same string-string of the goodness of the corporation.They have to follow the dictates of money instead of conscience.
Conclusion
Media has become an industry just like other industries. The principles and conscience have given way to materialism. The journalists have become the worst kind of terrorists and dictators. The freedom of press is abused for self interests. There is no country in this world where the journalists are calling a spade a spade. Every body is swirling in the pools of money and wealth. Every journalist tries his best to fish in the troubled waters. The discrimination between poor and rich is evident in this field too. The might is right also in the journalism. The powerful states have taken it for granted that their every action is right and according to the principles. They have the right to use or abuse the press in the name of saving the world from terrorism or such other pretexts.
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