A CLEAR message of unity has been sent out by the journalist community in the US — one that the press in Pakistan would do well to reflect on.

Following the White House ban on CNN’s chief correspondent, several media organisations have filed amicus curiae briefs in support of the channel’s lawsuit against President Donald Trump.

The ban on Jim Acosta was just the latest assault by Mr Trump against what he labels the “elite media”, which can lead to dangerous real-life consequences (eg the bomb package delivered outside CNN’s New York office).

This time, however, what is encouraging is the right-wing Fox News’ vocal support for CNN — an unlikely alliance between the leading ‘conservative’ and ‘liberal’ media houses.

Beyond competition for ratings, and beyond ideological divides, they sensed the threat to the profession — the common enemy of a free press is the fragile ego of an authoritarian.

In Pakistan, news channels have often stooped to pitiful depths to sabotage competition — from issuing traitor tags to levelling more sinister blasphemy allegations.

This has to stop.

The enemies of the press are powerful.

And they are armed.

In a recent report, Unesco documented the killing of 27 journalists in the Asia-Pacific region.

Pakistan, which in many ways has a more free — or at least a more vibrant — media than many other parts of Asia is no stranger to threats and violence against journalists.

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, a total of 60 media personnel have been killed since 1992. Journalists hold the powerful accountable.

This inevitably ruffles feathers.

And certain truths will cause discomfort in certain circles.

But highlighting uncomfortable and often messy realities is necessary to identify the sources of suffering, if there is an intention to remedy them.

Those inconvenienced by the truth or the noise of multiple perspectives will take steps to remove that source of discomfort — whether through co-option or silencing.

While it’s true that public opinion of mainstream media has sunk — this is partially the fault of the business model, clickbait culture, and 24/7 news cycles taking precedent over traditional journalistic norms and ethics — there has also been deliberate propaganda campaigns to silence criticism.

In the age of populism, and the rise of empty nationalist rhetoric, journalists face a common enemy that spreads misinformation, disinformation, fake news, rumours and outright lies.

They must unite against it.

Published in Dawn, November 18th, 2018