Geo News on the verge of a complete BAN

[That Guy]

Pakistan is a special case, the problems it faces and the power structure mandates a subservient media.... You dont want arab spring type situation with people against the establishment, so it is better for media outlets to tow the national rhetoric...

I don't agree with that, a sub-servant media will only hurt the nation. There is little chance of an arab-spring style of protests happening in Pakistan, the reason being that Pakistan has already gone through such revolutions before, the strongest being against Musharraf, and people are too weary to go ahead with another revolution in less than 10 years time. The fact that very few people showed up to welcome back Musharraf at the airport proves that people don't have an appetite for the military anymore. They'll defend the military, but will no longer allow it to dictate through government.

Funny. I would view that as an apt description of Geo network and Express Tribune.

I agree that the security establishment in Pakistan is an elitist club at times, and there have been transgressions, but it is also wrong to blame them for everything that ails Pakistan.

On the media front, there are responsible media organizations in Pakistan which hold the establishment's feet to the fire while also serving the national interest. DAWN would be among the finest examples of that. Much as I disagree with their tone sometimes, few would deny that they have Pakistan's best interests at heart.

The same can not be said of Geo and Express Tribune. These media outlets are utterly devoid of merit and intellectual honesty. This is a subjective, personal assessment, of course, but each citizen has to decide for themselves if they see the media organizations as serving the national interests, or purely self-serving sensationalist tripe.

In any case, I don't believe in banning them and turning them into martyrs. The better approach is for viewers who disagree to boycott them.

I don't think the definition quite fits Geo group, simply because of what and how they report. People keep confusing my stance for some sort of love of Geo, but in reality I'm taking your stance, boycott, don't ban. You have the right to disagree, but you do not have the right to ban anyone who disagrees with you.

I do however have to question your mention of media protecting Pakistan's national interest. No media group should do such a thing, they're supposed to remain fair and unbias, and that cannot happen if they have clear loyalties with one side over another. This is why in places like Canada and the US, new anchors and TV personalities are generally banned by their organizations from (publicly) favoring one political party over another, Keith Olbermann being a great example of this.

I can see this entire situation just disappear from public conversation, and PEMRA letting the case drop.

 

[Developereo]

I do however have to question your mention of media protecting Pakistan's national interest. No media group should do such a thing, they're supposed to remain fair and unbias, and that cannot happen if they have clear loyalties with one side over another.

I don't see why protecting Pakistan's interests implies a political bias. In fact, it's quite the opposite.

I do believe that, as tenants of the nation's airwaves, the media have a moral responsibility to repay the nation and work for its betterment. Part of that responsibility involves raising national morale, helping keep authorities accountable, etc. The question becomes whether some organizations are doing that or harming the nation by petty sensationalism and parroting anti-Pakistan propaganda.

 

[That Guy]

I don't see why protecting Pakistan's interests implies a political bias. In fact, it's quite the opposite.

I do believe that, as tenants of the nation's airwaves, the media have a moral responsibility to repay the nation and work for its betterment. Part of that responsibility involves raising national morale, helping keep authorities accountable, etc. The question becomes whether some organizations are doing that or harming the nation by petty sensationalism and parroting anti-Pakistan propaganda.

I guess we disagree on the philosophy behind our mutual agreement. I do think that such a stance by the media would cause bias, as they may end up going down the road where they purposefully ignore bad news to make Pakistanis feel better about their nation, but that's just me. I'm not saying it would definitely happen, but it would be a step in that direction.