Are Unbiased Journalists in Pakistan Non-Existent Anymore?
The role of the media is to present facts to the people and let them form opinions based on them instead become a party
It has been ages when journalists used to be unbiased keeping in view the sensitivity of the field, however, this has changed gradually and silently with time particularly in Pakistan.
It is an established fact that parliament, judiciary, army, and media are considered four pillars of the state and their impartiality is key to stability in a country.
In particular, the role of the media is to present facts to the people and let them form opinions based on them. But, the journalists’ community in Pakistan probably holds an open disregard to professional values.
In times before this, the political affiliation of a journalist was not less than a trial as it made his credibility dubious.
However, in Pakistan, two camps of journalists have been formed who are either with the government or opposition.
On the occasion of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) much-hyped rally in Lahore at Minar-e-Pakistan, the media outlet ARY News shared a photo of the protest site with the caption ‘people have rejected the opposition’. This tweet signifies the tilt of the media outlet towards the government.
‘عوام نے اپوزیشن کو مسترد کردیا’#ARYNewsUrdu https://t.co/6GoL1R1tDC
— ARY News Urdu (@arynewsud) December 13, 2020
Renowned journalist Hamid Mir, who is associated with Jang Group which is considered anti-PTI government, also shared a tweet of a video shot of packed Minar-e-Pakistan ground while sarcastically captioning it with the Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed’s statement that ‘There are only four to five thousand people in the rally’.
لاہور کے جلسے میں صرف چار پانچ ہزار لوگ ہیں، شیخ رشید pic.twitter.com/x1x9xIAi1k
— Hamid Mir (@HamidMirPAK) December 13, 2020
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Journalist Asma Shirazi followed the footsteps of Hamid Mir who also tweeted something similar that Prime Minister was not worried about the PDM rally in Lahore but instead he preferred to spend time with his pet dogs.
پی ڈی ایم کا جلسہ شروع ہو چکا ہے ، گیارہ چھوٹی بڑی جماعتوں کے قائدین اسٹیج پر ہیں ، وزیراعظم کو کوئی ٹینشن نہیں ، آج اُنہوں نے ٹائیگر اور شیرو کو بھر پور وقت دیا ۔۔۔ #LahoreJalsa #PDM
— Asma Shirazi (@asmashirazi) December 13, 2020
Moeed Pirzada criticized the prejudice of the media groups on the occasion and said that the cameramen of Geo News would have to work hard to show 1 million participants in the Lahore demonstration but what about the cruel drone cameras of ARY.
Given the disappointing situation of PMLN/PDM workers, at 2.30pm, around Minar-e-Pakistan, Lahore, it looks like that Geo News cameramen & Urdu columnists will have to work hard to collect One Million people by evening prayers! But what about ARY’s cruel Drone cameras?
— Moeed Pirzada (@MoeedNj) December 13, 2020
Arshad Sharif, who is associated with ARY News, shared photos of Imran Khan and Federal Minister Murad Saeed spending time with their dogs while mentioning that the government was not even perplexed by the much-hyped Lahore rally.
#PDMLahoreJalsa is least worry for #PTI minister @MuradSaeedPTI as he spends time with Harry just like @ImranKhanPTI spending time with his pets in #BaniGala.
Harry, the white #GermanShepherd of #MuradSaeed is love ❤️ just like Ghost of #JohnSnow in #GameOfThrones pic.twitter.com/NNl9hr9vsw— Arshad Sharif (@arsched) December 13, 2020
In other parts of the world, the media outlets hold a strict policy for the journalists associated with them and keep a tight check on their social media activities too.
They are barred from doing tweets or giving statements that show their affiliation with any political group.
However, this is a non-existent practice in Pakistan where journalists enjoy free range to speak and most of them are no more unbiased. They are at liberty at whatever they want to speak without fearing any accountability or keeping in view the values of journalism.
