REPORTING TERRORISM: HOW THE TERRORISTS EXPLOIT TV AND ITS DYNAMICS

Terrorists are aware not only of the power of the electronic media like television but also of its soft spots in the commercial world where it must compete with rivals for viewer attention. The terrorist is also adept at exploiting this weakness for his benefit. The spectacle of terror is so imposing that round the clock TV cannot resist riveting the eye of the camera on the scene for long hours thereby making it possible for the terrorist message to reach across to the intended audience.......

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A Nation in a Roller Coaster

Looking at Pakistan while sitting abroad is nothing but an image of awe, horror and frustration.  It reminds one of the horrors of an unwilling child sitting next to an elder, full of excitement, during the down slide of a fast moving roller coaster. Take the whole nation of common people as that child and the coterie of top notch power brokers – be they politicians, khakis, judges, journalists, etc. – as the enthusiastic elder. The child is terrified to the core, hoping against the hope, waiting for the ride to come to an end. Worse,  his prayers for the upward turn of the ride – at least for the moment – to mitigate his agony for a short period of time seem to go unheard.

The slide is getting steeper. Democracy or no democracy, who cares about the people. the debates are on – among the fire brand or placid – the ‘so called’ intellectuals gracing the TV screens. Alas! All intellect has boiled down to the limits of the ‘idiot box’. I have never understood the significance true meaning of this rather idiosyncratic expression until of late.

The whole fuss is all about the question that should we continue with this ‘democracy’ or go for an alternate solution. Some vouch for this ‘democracy’ to be given more time. Others, while trying to steer clear of being branded as the advocates of martial law, are looking for an out of the box solution. Out of this divide, is the lot with beards and ‘amamas’ who, generally, due to their sheer appearance and out look fail to get that much space on TV except for getting some fatwas on complicated and hitherto most hotly debated controversial sharia issues. On the streets, they demand the revival of ‘khilafat’ not only in spirit but letter, too – with all its costumes and culture.

See, in this discussion, I also for got that the child is terrified. His sobs of anguish have turned into screams of anguish. The elder takes these screams as the cries of excitement. His adrenaline is on the high. It flows with even greater velocity with yet another steep recession. He is enjoying to the hilt.

What about the child. To his horror, he is tightly belted to his place with the stings of law and fear of punishment which are reserved for him only. He wants to break free. Or not. Or he wants the ride to stop. Perhaps the elder has paid for the ticket to last for eternity. The blocked mind of the child is fast thinking for the last option – no matter it may cost his life. Jump out of the ride.

Scoop Following Media Hounds

Recently, the journalist who interviewed Malala was trying to shed some tears on spilt milk. He was referring to how he revealed her identity to the people through an interview.  http://dawn.com/2012/10/21/predatory-politics-and-malala/. 

I can only take pity on Malala. She is paying the price of the predatory-always-scoop-looking hounding habits of the media through her life. We, the media persons treat our interviewees as guinea pigs on the lab table, left alone to brace the horrible consequences once the 'scoop' is made. It is the ‘go to hell’ approach in the simplest terms. Trust me, the so called 'responsible media’ is no alien to this practice. And I am not a conspiracy theories monger.

The other side of the story is even more horrible with far reaching fall outs which can last for generations. It is the pitiable and deplorable attitude of the policy makers who use these ‘glimmers of hope’ – if they really are, eventually – as a smoke screen to hide their square inability to respond to the challenges and keep playing the time passing games. And, you know how to pass time? With a pastime!

Malala and the Reporting of Children on the Media

Oh yes, we have an icon with us, a brightly shining star who with her sheer courage and determination has put most of us to shame. However, I can not fathom how she has been largely reported in our media. We are trying to put emotional tones into a highly sensitive matter : how children should be reported in the media. A word of caution: I am not , in any case, trying to diminish her bravery, resilience and love for education. I have purely professional and and technical apprehensions, as being a media professional, that the media have failed to follow the UNICEF guidelines in reporting children.

Malala could have been lucky enough (or may be unlucky) to have a big heart, mettle of steel and a gift of the gab which raced her up the ladder of fame, respect of love at such a small age – which many can only envy. But she is still a child at the tender age of thirteen now when she is fighting the biggest war of her life: for her life. She was even younger when she first appeared in the lime light in 2009 as Gul Makai. And that was happening in an active war zone. I don’t need to explain the horrors of a war theater.

Being a father of a nine year old son, I can clearly understand the yearnings of a young but ambitious soul who wants to conquer the Mount Everest bare foot. He wants to do anything and everything. Sometimes, he is frighteningly unfearful as well as scared like a wet duck at other occasions. And I assume that most, if not all, parents experience such conditions of their budding children. They are tender souls full of vigor and untarnished sincerity to achieve something. But what is the role of a parent? To flow with the sways of the child. Or to try to groom / moderate them in accordance with the best of their capabilities.

Let’s assume that there are children and teen agers who are living in an active war zone like we have in Swat. They see the gory acts done in front of their eyes to their dear and near ones. They are bound to be both angered and feared by such acts. If their anger turned determination tries to take the better of them and they want to steal the lime light as well, what should we do? Should we put them to open dangers which may prove fatal for them?

And the issue at hand is not happening inside my home and, of course, going out of my hands, too. It is with the so called ‘professional’ journalists who are guided (or probably misguided) largely by the economic considerations of their organisations. Unfortunately, this rate race for money has become a bane of our media, who do not want to blink an eye to miss any chance to make money. In this connection, I think the UNICEF guidelines provide a good framework on how to report children at all occasions – peace and war. All children are not born leaders like Malala. Their occasional bursts of exuberance may prove fatal for them, as it is apprehended for the little angel. We, the elders, should not put our children to sword due to our towering incompetence and unacceptable meekness to stand against the tide of the time.