The winds of change are blowing fast and furiously through the country and as with every storm, it is hard to predict what things will be like once the dust eventually settles. One thing, however, is certain: if ever there was a time to batten down the hatches and call on hands out on the deck, this is it. That means not just politicians, bureaucrats or high-powered decision makers but also what is often considered the fourth pillar of the state, the media.

True, the country’s electronic media industry is still in its fledging stages and the field expanded at a rate so unprecedented that there was barely any time to train enough people to work the machine. And, undeniably, within a few short years of its creation, the industry found itself at the receiving end of a particularly harsh cat ’o nine tails, wielded by the very person who claimed to have “gifted” it to the nation. It is not surprising, then, that a number of media outlets reacted in the manner of resentful children – though it must be reiterated that the scale of the pressure justified the rebellion. The media industry put its weight behind the changes imminent of the political front and displayed a new-found creativity. And while the objectivity or journalistic ethos displayed by some of the programming seen over the past year and half may be questionable, the fact remains that the objective was achieved, albeit through means both fair and foul.

All children of a revolution, however, have to grow up fast. So must the media. No longer is there the luxury of merely reacting to events – media professionals must now shoulder the far tougher task of participating in the way the future shapes up. Which means that everything that appears in the newspapers and on television must make a genuine attempt to pass the litmus test of objective, thoroughly-researched and balanced reportage, not just on the surface but also in the subtext. Talk shows hosts, for example, must rise above the temptation to treat their guests as enemies who are to be exposed, and instead try to steer the conversation in such a manner that it actually adds to the debate rather than ending in a sordid display of mud-slinging and buck-passing. News reports, whether in print or on the airwaves, must report facts accurately and after independent verification, rather allowing themselves to be used as pawns by the shadowy propaganda machine that lurks constantly in this country’s shadows. To choose an example that is on everybody’s lips these days, it is not enough to report without independent investigation that X politician or Y armyman is corrupt, inefficient or incompetent for as everyone who has worked in the news industry knows, such information can be and often is planted by the institutions and individuals who weave conspiratorial webs in the twilight zone of Islamabad, the GHQ and the ISI.

The media industry has the power to not only inform but also inspire and lead the debate rather than just report it. Consider the fact that the political process in Pakistan is centred on personalities rather than processes. The current set-up, with Asif Zardari at its apex, is compared to earlier experiences ranging from Nawaz Sharif’s governments to those of the various retired generals. Discussions on these matters often resort, in the end, to who did what and siphoned off how much. But that is actually quite beside the point since what we are looking for is continued adherence to the process of democratic governance. To change the manner in which this concept is understood and discussed by the citizens of this country, it is essential that it be taken up by the media. Similarly, it is essential that the media branch out further than they have done already, and include in their panels of experts and commentators those individuals who do not often speak directly to the millions: researchers, academics, newer entrants in politics, etc. Such people’s views will, of course, have varying degrees of reasonability but it is worth hearing what they have to say. Some of them may have a plan, and some of these plans may actually be workable. Through the media, we need to find out.

There are already many indications that the country’s media industry has started to move in this direction. A growing number of programmes are setting standards for improved debate and expanded repertoires. Investigative journalism in the real sense can occasionally be seen in print and on television. This momentum must be given further impetus. Meanwhile, every attempt must be made to steer as far as possible away from yellow journalism or that of convenience and expedience.

— hmumtaz@dawn.com