Cable operators had so much clout!
Journalists and Anchors Must Protest Gagging by Media Owners | PKKH.tv
On Monday around 6pm while reading Ansaar Abbasi’s column on social media I messaged Ansaar Abbasi to request him to participate on my show on Friday, in Policy Matters, and the topic would be his petition on obscene content on our tv channels and social immorality. He immediately responded and agreed. I lined up a couple of other guests, and then turned to other matters.
Sunsquently on twitter there was much criticism/shock about banning Talat Hussain”s program on the same subject. After investigating at my end I was told that his program was pulled off about 10 minutes before it was to be aired. The reason was that in a meeting between cable operators and channel owners, a decision was taken to not air any program on the obscenity (fahashi) petition because it is sub-judice. Other colleagues from different channels also confirmed of such a meeting. It was apparently also decided that the channels will also carry no reports on the SC proceedings on this issue.
Do we need to remind ourselves of the dozens of sub-judice matters are dissected by us on our talkshows and columns on a daily basis? Hence the reason for preventing all discussion was not about law or the sensitivity etc of the subject but, more about other commercial interests. More specifically that public debates on the matter could influence SC decision on matters like showing Indian movies on Pakistani cable operated channels.
This may or may not be true but certainly makes for no justification to enforce a total ban insofar as discussion of any subject is concerned. We must not accept such a ban. It violates the Constitution Of Pakistan and as well as denies people the basic right of remaining informed. No less it is an attempt to begin censorship of the media through sinister ways and from new stakeholders.
Many of our honorable seniors valiantly resisted the State’s pressure through the decades, to impose censorship to keep their often illegitimately acquired power intact.
Today when confronted with new promoters of media censorship, we must as responsible print and televison journalists, act in good conscience. We are fortunate that social media also facilitates transparent and candid debate.