Fate of Free Press

[Decent_6Chora]

Re: Fate of Free Press

@Iconoclast

Bhaijaan, the current “freedom” is bcoz of multiple satellite channels with out of teh country broadcasting stations. There were no major players in times of BB and NS, but the columnists like they do now, used to highlight corruption of government if they came to know of. Zardari was called Mr 10% “during” BB’s regime. Jang had lengthy editorials against Tind Brathraan when they were in power.
And i do not recall if during BB or NS times the broadcasting of channels like BBC was stopped like that has happened Now.

http://www.paklinks.com/gs/showpost.php?p=5255509&postcount=17

mind reading this?

Just tells how NS surpressed JANG group in 1998 else we would have had GEO in 1999

[Iconoclast]

Re: Fate of Free Press

The current government has not done any better to curb voice of media,

*Sending bullets to journalists
*Taking channels off air for hours and hours
*Banning BBC broadcast from local FM radio
*Pemra and the famous Pemra ordinance

[Shak_killS]

Re: Fate of Free Press

there will be definitly pressure if not total censorship on media after BB and remote chance NS if they come power.

you will see visible difference.

[Zakk]

Re: Fate of Free Press

you seem to be confusing free press and investigative journalism..almost all the scandals of the military and civilian govt have been exposed by investigative jounalism which was going on under BB and NS's time.

[Haris]

Re: Fate of Free Press

its interesting that you (and most musharraf supporters) acknowledge that the people HAVE got tired of musharraf. Now whatever theorizing you do about why that happens and whats wrong with the people etc, the bottom line is you need to respect the people's wishes instead of imposing your worldview on them. After all, you are one 'person', a part of the people, your views could just as easily be rationalized and dissected unflatteringly.

but then again, I'm not imposing...I am one person with a diff view of my own, and I express it, and I'm quite aware how unflatteringly unpopular my view at the moment could be, but I definitely respect people's opinions and wishes and their rights to them at all times, and I'm only pointing out the major issues with each party concerned...

[Haris]

Re: Fate of Free Press

The current government has not done any better to curb voice of media,

*Sending bullets to journalists *Taking channels off air for hours and hours *Banning BBC broadcast from local FM radio *Pemra and the famous Pemra ordinance

[QUOTE]
*Sending bullets to journalists
[/QUOTE]

How can one ever be sure who was behind these incidents; it could be an individual or a group. Why the whole govt?

[QUOTE]
*Taking channels off air for hours and hours
[/QUOTE]

Atleast 50% of the cases were over illegal airing, expired licenses, airing prior to grant of licenses i think, it was regularly in the news.

[QUOTE]
*Banning BBC broadcast from local FM radio
[/QUOTE]

FM 103,a good station. It was all over the news last year, even BBC itself had approached last year as they were airing the service without permission.

[QUOTE]
*Pemra and the famous Pemra ordinance
[/QUOTE]

A govt has a right to such...

[ravage]

Re: Fate of Free Press

but then again, I'm not imposing...I am one person with a diff view of my own, and I express it, and I'm quite aware how unflatteringly unpopular my view at the moment could be, but I definitely respect people's opinions and wishes and their rights to them at all times, and I'm only pointing out the major issues with each party concerned...

allow me to rephrase, one should be against the imposition of an unpopular view on people.

[ravage]

Re: Fate of Free Press

Bhaijaan, the current "freedom" is bcoz of multiple satellite channels with out of teh country broadcasting stations. There were no major players in times of BB and NS, but the columnists like they do now, used to highlight corruption of government if they came to know of. Zardari was called Mr 10% "during" BB's regime. Jang had lengthy editorials against Tind Brathraan when they were in power. And i do not recall if during BB or NS times the broadcasting of channels like BBC was stopped like that has happened Now.

Correction. Major players werent ALLOWED to broadcast in Pakistan. The one that was, NTM, was strictly regulated, buying time from PTV with PTV being a shareholder. Any programs that were too politically open were muzzled immediately and openly, Anwar Maqsood's programmes come to mind.

These guys came to the brink of muzzling the freedom of Geo et al, and they could have easily done so. However they stepped back, which is credit to them.

[Haris]

Re: Fate of Free Press

allow me to rephrase, one should be against the imposition of an unpopular view on people.

Also allow me to restate; you're right. But in our/Pakistan's case this democratic essence in not imposing *anything unpopular may have been fresh and full of optimism in 1947, 1956 or 1973, but even after repeated experimentation when popular view/choice results in equally if not more chaotic blunders, shouldn't one try and remind of the past mistakes?
I cant come to terms with letting a 100 ppl make a same mistake a 100th time and leave them alone and submit to their will and popular decision just because they are 100 and thus popular majority and no question shall be asked on that decision's correctness...or is that what *power to the people and live and let live is about? Jump off a cliff in a popular democratic unified decision. Nobody's to question. Perhaps one shouldn't question if there's 0 interest involved, but as long as one has even 0.1% stake, one has a right and duty to question and promote view even if it is comparatively unpopular. *Imposition *is another story.
And this paranoia abt popular view; simply because of the track record...

[ravage]

Re: Fate of Free Press

there is a difference between 'promoting' an unpopular view and being okay with its imposition (which would be the case if Musharraf should continue). What I said is you should be opposed to any imposition of an unpopular view even if you continue to promote it.

Clearly when you advocate martial law etc you are going beyond just rooting for the promotion of your view, you're rooting for its imposition.

Point is, this clarity about the rightness of yourself and the wrongness of others is the hallmark of every true believer. you need a certain amount of humility to see that everyone who disagrees with you is not automatically willing to jump off a cliff (as hyperbolic those statements are), and its possible that you might be wrong too. which is why its okay to believe in a worldview, promote it, but oppose its imposition by force.

[ashtray]

Re: Fate of Free Press

can we ban ravage? behes ker ker ke jeena azaab ker deta hai ye aadmi.

[ravage]

Re: Fate of Free Press

you may silence me but what of the ravage inside each and every one of us.. that little voice that says NO you must not kill.. or NO every life is valuable and we must be nice to everyone, NO bangalies are human beings too, NO the world must be saved. No, you may drown him out but he lives.

the truth will shine through.

[Reza_Pahlavi]

Re: Fate of Free Press

@Decent_6Chora

Lets give a big hand of applause to Musharraf for the freedom of press/media.

I know Musharraf bashers will not admit it, chammar journalists like Ansar Abbasi are not going to admit it but history will recognize the fact that Mushaaraf gave the freedom to Media in Pakistan which was no where to be found in “democratic & political” governments. It was very easy for Musharraf to stricken up the censorship or at least continue the policies of so called democratic governments but he decided otherwise. Give the credit where its due. Musharraf bashers can come up with the same old line “its not possible to restrict media in THESE days….and crap” but I can give you the list of 10s and 10s of countries in TODAYS world where media is strained and I can bet that same will happen to Pakistani media once we have democratic people in charge.

Lot of water has passed under the bridges since Musharraf took over and BB and NS went to exile. NS and BB are not used to such free Media/Press and Judiciary. We all remember what NS and BB did to JANG and other news papers in their ear. NS used to give list to JANG’s management to “fire” the journalists he don’t like and this is just one example.

Having said all this, I really don’t approve vulgarity on private channels and it has nothing to do with freedom of media and press and should not be mixed with it. With girls showing cleavage and doing booty dance every now and then its getting hard to watch the TV with friends and family.

**The ways of censorship

In the past, even supposedly democratic governments have used various means to control the press, through tax cases, withholding newsprint (which is imported through government channels) or pulling out official tenders, notices and advertisements (which the smaller newspapers rely on for revenue). In 1998, when the country’s largest publication house, the Jang Group, tried to break Pakistan Television’s monopoly on news and current affairs by planning a satellite channel, it became clear how far the government would go to stop this. The democratically elected but dictatorially inclined Nawaz Sharif accused the Group of tax evasion, revived old tax cases, and withheld newsprint, forcing the Group to reduce the size of some of its daily papers from twenty-four to eight pages. Sharif’s henchmen personally pressurised the Group’s owner to support the government on various policy issues and fire, or at least sideline, several journalists (this writer included). He refused, but the stand-off ended only after the idea of the satellite channel was quietly dropped. It is only now being revived.
**

An easing of these restrictions have led to the launch… TO READ COMPLETE ARTICLE, CLICK HERE

The free media has in the last 6 months also faced censure from the free judiciary as well, and I believe that quite a few times our rather sensitive superior judges have warned some journalists. Similarly the free media is becoming more and more critical of the judges since 20 July, so I think journalists will be in for a rough time from the Supreme Court more often now.

[Haris]

Re: Fate of Free Press

there is a difference between 'promoting' an unpopular view and being okay with its imposition (which would be the case if Musharraf should continue). What I said is you should be opposed to any imposition of an unpopular view even if you continue to promote it.

Clearly when you advocate martial law etc you are going beyond just rooting for the promotion of your view, you're rooting for its imposition.

** Point is, this clarity about the rightness of yourself and the wrongness of others is the hallmark of every true believer. you need a certain amount of humility to see that everyone who disagrees with you is not automatically willing to jump off a cliff (as hyperbolic those statements are), and its possible that you might be wrong too. which is why its okay to believe in a worldview, promote it, but oppose its imposition by force.**

Ofcourse. And that applies to all sides concerned.

While nobody is as phantasmal to not understand other opinions at all times, or not believe their own could ever be wrong in any case, instances where the same mistakes are being made for the umpteenth time are different.

you may silence me but what of the ravage inside each and every one of us.. that little voice that says NO you must not kill.. or NO every life is valuable and we must be nice to everyone, NO bangalies are human beings too, NO the world must be saved. No, you may drown him out but he lives.

** the truth will shine through**.

And some day the right fitting solution, better choice and correct decisions too.

[PyariCgudia]

Re: Fate of Free Press

No one can really deny how much the media has exploded in the past 5 years at least.

Just the coverage over the Lal-Masjid problems and the criticism levelled against the government after it shows how the government really isn't controlling the media all that much. These sorts of things NEVER were seen on television on PTV and NTM in the old days of television.

The Anwar Maqsood shows were an excellent example. Moin Akhtar recalls in almost every interview he gives of what censorship he and Anwar Maqsood were under when doing their shows in the PTV days.

[picoico]

Re: Fate of Free Press

Media, under Musharraf, has grown and expanded. The strict censorship that Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto's governments, and previous governments had placed over films, television, and the print media was absurd.

They didn't have strict censorship. At least not the print media. They only seemed to meddle when the media threatened to expose their corruption. Mushy doesn't seem to have any huge problems in that area...so it's business as usual for the media.

What happened is that the media grew, and moved out of country. Harder to control.

Again, Mushy tends to get credit for a lot of stuff he didn't do. What he can be credited for doing is allowing the media to grow...same for the economy. But then, I suppose BB and Nawaz would have done the same - although in amore corrupt context.

Another problem with Mushy is that he has a serious credibility problem. BB will have this same problem too, being a Western stooge. He couldn't risk the bad optics of censoring news reports on him or any of his yes-men through intimidation of private channels.

As for the indecency in the media...that started under Nawaz...maybe under BB. Sadly, they reversed the one good thing Zia managed to do - create at least an image of public decency. It hasn't gotten raunchier since...just more widespread because the media has grown.