New challenges to the media

As Pakistan's electronic media attained new heights in the last few years, and became one of the strongest and powerful organs of state, it is confronted with numerous challenges and pressures, both within and from outside.

No doubt it has a lot of pro's and has become a strong source of information, but the problem begins when professional ethics become hostage to ratings and in the process, fake news and fake information replace facts. The media is not supposed to set the agenda, but its prime responsibility is to give accurate information and news based on facts. Accuracy is key to journalism.

The solution to these challenges depends on the approach to address the problematic areas. As long as ratings of channels or programmes remain the only source for profits, the anchors and directors of news and programming would remain under constant pressure — leading to issues like the one under scrutiny at the highest level i.e. the Supreme Court of Pakistan.

There is one basic solution to the problem i.e. ease the pressure of ratings from news and programming departments and shift it back to the marketing side as bringing commercials or looking for advertisement is not the job of a journalist or anchor. Their job is the collection of news based on facts and the anchor's job is to conduct a show based on strong content. They are neither actors nor marketing professionals and cannot do something they are not trained for.

If media houses and advertisers are able to come up with a solution to the ratings' issue, and discourage news and shows based on negativity and false information, journalists and anchors would do their job in a more professional manner.

Pakistani media needs good professional journalists, editors and news and programme directors, and not media quacks. If we are unable to address the ratings issue, there is every possibility that the culture of spinning the news and twisting the story would continue.

A Joint Investigation Team (JIT) was constituted by the three-member bench of the Supreme Court in Lahore on Sunday to examine the alleged information given by noted anchor Dr Shahid Masood in his show. However, he stands by his claim and thus, the burden of proof lies with him.

If the anchor is able to place evidence or record before the JIT of his claim of bank accounts of the Kasur accused and his links with a federal minister and his friend, this report could even become part of any book on investigative journalism. If he fails, it would still become the part of a book, but in a negative context: why it is important to verify your facts.

He has chosen the right way to stand by his allegations and ignored the advice of fellow colleagues to regret or tender an apology.

For the last week, the media and anchors are not following the news, but on the contrary they themselves have become part of the news. The media, which has the credit of breaking and creating a hype around the high-profile case of the rape and murder of young Zainab, is now confronting the question of giving alleged false information. 

Thus, in addition to the original story of Zainab, the investigators are now probing the disclosures of the anchor in this case and till now are unable to find evidence of any bank accounts of the accused or his 'links'. 

So, in the last four days, the focus of the media has shifted from the real story to the alleged fictitious information as till this day the anchor has not placed any relevant document before the court or in his programme. However, all is not lost for him and if he is able to place some of these documents, which he had claimed earlier, before the JIT. 

He would be rightly awarded the certificate of credibility. Journalists’ biggest reward has been his or her credibility and embarrassment when the information or news is proven wrong.

What happened in the Supreme Court this past Sunday was quite an experience for me. I would not call it a wake-up call as in the last 15 years, since private TV channels were launched, there have been wake-up calls time and again.

One of the reasons we are not ready to 'wake up' is the fact that bad news has become good news for channels. Any show or programme or news content which take channels' ratings up is acceptable, irrespective of its clash with ethical and professional questions.

Author Andrew Boyd, in his book, Broadcasting Journalism, addresses this question in these words: "An uneasy alliance exists between the drive for profit and the quest for news on any commercial station that depends on ratings for its survival. When profit motive replaces news values there is pressure to pander to the lowest public taste for fear that audience and advertisers alike will desert unless the station delivers only the goods that the mass market will buy. And that pressure spills over into the newsroom."

Thus, for the anchor under question, it is more important how much rating his programme received than the evidence he has been asked to produce to clear his name. 

I was among dozens of journalists, editors, owners and leading anchors who gave their respective opinion and views on the matter and also suggested ways to overcome such challenges. 

These include names of veterans like IA Rehman, Arif Nizami and Mujeebur Rehman Shami, who have spent almost 50 years in this profession. Their presence, besides the presence of others, proved that the question under discussion was not what one anchor has done, but a larger question as what should be done in such a matter.

The dilemma in the whole episode was the fact that as a result of this new JIT, the real matter of the Zainab case has taken a back seat and this is what happens when a journalist or anchor becomes part of the story.

Thus, from now on, the case would progress in two different dimensions: one JIT will probe Zainab’s case and submit a charge-sheet within 10 days while the second JIT will probe into the allegations of the anchor.

One cannot do much except for wait and see after the anchor said, "I stand by my story”. However, the larger question still remains unanswered: what should one do when negativity sells and brings profits.

The matter of the anchor must be sorted out soon by the JIT, so that all attention of the media focuses on the original story of Zainab.

- The writer is the senior columnist and analyst of Geo, The News and Jang. He Tweets @MazharAbbasGEO

Note: The views expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Geo News, The News or the Jang Group

Originally published in The News