What is “unhindered” TV coverage?
The federal information minister, Mr Muhammad Ali Durrani, sounded out of character when he complained Thursday that the government was upset over an “unhindered” coverage of recent events by the media. He threatened the electronic media with PEMRA rules that authorise the state to “hinder” live coverage of events in the country. It appears that his ministry will use the PEMRA laws as a bludgeon to stop “unhindered” coverage, meaning that all live coverage will go and all footage will be “passed” by the ministry before its airing.
Live coverage of events has to be unhindered or it is not live at all. If the TV medium can’t do something live it might as well wind up and go home. Anyone who knows how the bureaucrats “pass” reports will tell you that the “overkill” of the civil servant is invariably more lethal than any guilty “overkill” of the media in these days of extreme passion and polarity in the country.
We would like to advise Mr Durrani against using such meaningless terms as “unhindered” coverage. He should also know that PEMRA should not become an instrument of repression because the judiciary in its current mindset could well blunt its edge, thereby embarrassing the government and creating a bigger media crisis than the one which exists today. *
Source: Daily Times
Date:6/2/2007
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