The news coverage jumped from slow cart to a fast sports car. Currently there are 18 news channels working in Pakistan. Geo News is currently winning the race and Express news is in the second position.
Express news was founded in 2008 and it’s owned and run by the country’s third largest Urdu daily, Daily Express.
The ideology of express news is to enlighten people, to let them express the future they desire and to create positive social change through the power of people. There are codes of ethics that every news channel has to follow;
- Truthfulness / Accuracy
- Fairness
- Limitation of Harm
- Acceptability
- Invasion of privacy
- Confidentiality
- Social responsibility
But what I believe not only express news, but all the news channels in Pakistan are not following the above codes of ethics. They all are in the race of breaking news and to be the first in broadcasting the news. The media has a responsibility to broadcast the truth and break the news on time. However, the media forgets that it also has a responsibility to respect victims and their need for privacy.
Starting off with the biggest example Peshawar’s recent Khyber Bazaar blast, by alluring people with live coverage has caused many to look at limbs and dead bodies without flinching. This is not your latest Quentin Tarantino movie. These are actual people who have families watching television. No one deserves to find out about the death of their child or parent through live coverage of a blast. No one needs to look at blown away limbs to understand a disaster has taken place. And most of all, no one need to look at the way barbaric officials create their own parallel justice system rather these things should remain hidden and the media officials should play a helpful role in overcoming the pain and suffering these people had to face by portraying the news in a more general form.
Conclusion
This is the dark side of having a competitive media. We need to scrutinize ourselves as individuals. It is us who make these institutions in the country. To improve their morality and ethics we have to start from ourselves. So let us join hands and make a change in this society.
Best Regards,
Waqas Waheed
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