Adil Najam
I have been forwarded a link to this video over a dozen times since yesterday. Like some of those who forwarded this to me, I do not find this video funny. And I certainly do not see any journalistic value in it. In fact, I find it rather disturbing, sometimes disgusting, and entirely disgraceful. I don’t really want you to see the video, but I do want us all – and especially our electronic media managers – to think real hard about what we are doing in our totally laissez-faire (the better phrase would be ‘mader, pidder, aazad’) attitude to what goes out as information, infotainment, and entertainment these days.
Note that the so-called “reporter” Shahid Hussain of Samaa TV tells us nothing about what the protest march is about or for. He finds that irrelevant and assumes everyone else will too. He accuses everyone of ogling and leering at the young nurses and is interested only in the fact that it is a march by young women. Why they march in protest, who they are, what their demands are – all of that matters not to him. I, for one, find all that relevant, but have no idea what this is about. Nor is there any condemnation of the ogling that he is supposedly ‘reporting’; only an expression of his own amusement and rather cheap and demeaning puns (‘nazaroun kay hifazati hisaar‘)!
Yet, the only thing that can be said with certainty is that it is the reporter Shahid Hussain and Samaa TV (through their cameras and narration) who are ogling indecently, misrepresenting and demeaning young working women in Pakistan and possibly also lying in what is supposed to be a “news” report (Do we have any evidence that the rickshaw actually got stuck because the driver was ogling? Did the policemen actually tell the reporter that this duty was good for tucking in their tummies and that they would like more such duty? Or is all of this just made up for by reporter’s wild imagination?)
I am not a prude. I think I can enjoy a good laugh and appreciate the pressures of live television with good humor. Nor would I ever think of advocating media clampdown or censorship (I was a working journalist during Zia-ul-Haq’s time when censorship was real as well as ugly; my commitment to a free media is absolute and unwavering). But I do know what is clearly not funny and what is disgusting. This is both.
This is not a call for clampdown or censorship; this is just a call for basic decency and reasonable taste. This is about the media making bad choices. Really bad choices. And making them again and again. These are not just ‘mistakes’. These are willful and deliberate attempts to sensationalize, trivialize, sexualize and dehmanize important issues.
With the case of Salman Taseer’s murder and the role of the media in fueling hatred so recent, would this not be the time for the media to think introspectively about what values they are promoting and what prejudice they are spreading? Some will no doubt accuse me to making too much of this. Maybe I am. But at a time when we have seen the destructive power of the media and of anchors to ruin lives, instigate frayed nerves, and spread venom in an already fractured society, it is the responsibility of the media to monitor itself.
The issue may be different as might be the stakes, but the dynamics of instigation, of misinformation, of legitimizing anti-social behavior and of dehumanization are exactly the same. And so is the damage to society as a whole. What are the values being promoting here: The disrespect of women? The trivialization of worker concerns? Raw chauvinism? Even if these are values already in society, is it the role of the media to trivialize, evangelize and celebrate them?
All those who habitually lie to themselves about how we have great respect for women in our society; well, this is the respect we have!
There is a great line in the movie Spider-Man: “With great power comes great responsibility.” The media in Pakistan today has assumed great power. I wish it would also learn to demonstrate some responsibility.
Mr Najam I can understand your concern over such trivia being telecast on TV.
I think the pressure on reporters to come up with special stories may be the reason. The sexual frustration among males in sub-continent, more a problem in Pakistan, leads to ogling which can be reported and it shows that the society is so starved that men salivate at every woman.
i think they are all too much impressed by Hum Sab Umeed Sau Hain and want humor on every serious or non serious issues.
I am constantly amazed at the type of things that get on air in the name of news. the anchors are but but these reporters are worse on every channel. Totally nonsensical stories without any sir-pair and with opinion and bhoonda mazaq rolled in. It seems there is no editorial process at all on these channels and whatever anyone produces they just put up without any quality control and review of it. This is just one example, but it happens all the time and every day.
razia – that you really believe because you submitted your “write up” on more than one occasion is reason enough for it to be published on ATP is the reason i commented. such arrogance…!!
looks like when these channels dont find appropriate news to broadcast on they just want anything crapy who could catch the viewers a bit on the channel to atleast watch at anything which doesnt make any sense.few years back i was watching tv at very fine evening n i got stucked on geo channel on which they were broadcasting a news abt “ki ajj lahore ka mausam acha hai tu loog garam garam pakoray kha rahay hain …lolzzz..they broadcast any crap anytime by which they can stick the viewers on tv.no matter whatever senseless and clueless thing they are showing.