Sensitivity can also sell
Did you see the confirmation video of Baitullah Mehsud’s death? Or how skillfully the gang leader Rehman Dakait was deposed? Or perhaps you’ve caught a glimpse of the latest footage of militants successfully executing civilians, which, unfortunately, has become an almost daily occurrence in some parts of the country?
No matter how gruesome the event, chances are it was broadcast by a private television channel and beamed right into your home. It seems being the frontline ally in the war against terror has numbed our sensitivities. And the ongoing quest for the highest ratings among the broadcast media is adding wind to the sails of insensitivity.
Death is a somber occurrence in the event of which, under the laws of civilization and basic ethics, privacy needs to be accorded where it’s duly required.
Living in Pakistan, you realise how worthless the loss of human life is and how easily people get away with murder. Now that sense of worthlessness is being compounded in the name of free media.
Newly found liberated broadcast outlets make it a point to enforce the carnage that permeates in Pakistan’s social fabric upon the eyes and ears of increasingly desensitised viewers. In recent months, the glorified images of ‘brutal’ militants or the triumphant gains of our ‘valiant’ soldiers have been rendered as scattered parts or intact trophy pieces – in simpler diction, human carcasses paraded before television viewers.
When decision makers at channels are asked if it’s appropriate to sully the airwaves in this manner, they shrug and offer the evergreen reply that it is their responsibility to report what is happening. When pressed if this manner of reporting is responsible, they argue that violent images are only aired after a viewer discretion warning is flashed on screen or relayed through a presenter. And don’t get them started about how they choose which bloody scenes are appropriate for prime time viewing, and which are not: is it okay to show the dead body of Pakistan’s enemy number one and not okay when it’s the body of a soldier or civilian?
The main question remains: who is building the appetite for blood and gore and how can it be stopped?
Across the globe, broadcast outlets with responsible editorial guidelines have a system of checks and counterchecks that dictate what can go on air. In Pakistan, there seems to be no such mechanism – either at separate television stations or via an association of media outlets – ensuring that only appropriate and ethical images are broadcast.
In most contexts, journalists rightfully stand against curbs in the form of guidelines by the government. But there needs to be some sort of accountability. Based on the principle that ‘power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely,’ a uniform ethics policy must be instituted – and implemented – by the independent media at large.
Broadcasters need to carefully consider – on a case-by-case basis, no less – what constitutes good reporting, and what is mere exhibitionism. And in an ideal situation, viewers need to be given a choice about what kinds of images they consume, rather than being forced to scamper for the remote and change the channel every time blood or a body part flash across the screen. For instance, when Saddam Hussein was executed, a sensitive broadcaster did not display the hanging or the dead body, but included a shot of the late dictator’s face in its television coverage of the event. In order to provide its viewers with a complete sense of what happened, the broadcaster uploaded a video of the entire hanging on its website. That way, whoever wanted to see the more gruesome images could log on and watch what happened at their own discretion.
Now, as Pakistan is making headway against militancy and the security forces are touting the return of normalcy to towns and cities, it is the media’s responsibility to take steps to heal the scars on the thought processes, memory, and soul of the country. Such a sensitive time, calls for sensitive judgement.
A while ago, when India was celebrating its nuclear tests, novelist and activist Arundhati Roy wrote:
Why does this all seem so familiar? Is it because, even as you watch, reality dissolves and seamlessly rushes forward into the silent, black-and-white images from old films – scenes of people being hounded out of their lives, rounded up and herded into camps? Of massacre, of mayhem, of endless columns of broken people making their way to nowhere? Why is there no soundtrack? Why is the hall so quiet? Have I been seeing too many films? Am I mad? Or am I right? Could those images be the inescapable culmination of what we have set into motion? Could our future be rushing forward into our past?
Her point that visuals inform both the sense of horror that is publicly perceived, as well as the sense of detachment and disassociation is relevant in present-day Pakistan too.
The common practice of providing live coverage of funerals and showing the face of the dead person on air, broadcasting bullet-riddled and blood-stained bodies of suspected terrorists, zooming in on the identifiable faces of rape victims, and incessantly screening the scattering of body parts after suicide blasts needs to stop. Every independent media outlet now has a website on which to post the images/videos that might require viewer discretion. More innovative ways of offering viewers the choice of how much blood and gore they consume can also be devised.
The reality is that the public has begun to block television screens for children and demonise news channels. If the media does not let its audience feel a sense of self-accountability and participate in decision-making processes, it risks losing credibility – an irreplaceable asset. If the youth, the majority of Pakistanis, are disgusted, disgruntled, and daunted by what they see on air, rather than made aware of the wrongs they need to collectively address, all the good work being done by the media to get the facts out may amount to naught.
Osama Bin Javaid is a Senior Duty Editor at DawnNews TV.
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November 1st, 2009 at 13:31
yes, sensitivity sells…but then why dont we make a guideline and by a guideline i dont mean picking up an international code of conduct, lets produce one that feeds the purpose of our Media so that at the end of the day we’re not categorised as an insensitive LOT. Let’s draw a line for LIVE COVERAGES.
November 1st, 2009 at 5:12
I agree with everything you wrote but President Musharraf had been saying that for years but whenever he said,”Media should be responsible about what they say and what they display” or anything along those lines, it was considered a huge issue and everyone was saying that he is trying to dictate the media.
I yet have to understand the agenda of our mainstream media; I don’t think it’s just money…
October 20th, 2009 at 19:13
I got the same impression and feelings that the news channels are reporting and presenting footages of victums of bomb blasts, rape etc. which badly impact the mental condition of the viewers. Furthermore, just after the sad and brain shaking news when the advertisement break comes, such a loud music with sharp color selections create the impression on the viewer (myself at least) that they are sense less people and are not concerned about sentiments of viewers and may be the effected families of the incidents about which they are reporting ‘freely’.
October 14th, 2009 at 13:51
Downplaying violence means that bombings, shelling and killings are viewed like video games or animations. Lives lost are mere statistics. The viewers have the choice to either bury their heads in sand, or to switch the channel.
Our Media are already doing an excellent job of dehumanizing war. They are wholeheartedly subscribing to restraint and “self-censorship”; there is hardly any coverage of the people on the receiving end in Fata / Swat. 90,000 displaced people from Waziristan, about 1/3rd of population; is equivalent to the displacement of 5 million people from Karachi; but hardly find any coverage.
October 14th, 2009 at 13:51
Well done Osama. You have finally broken the ice and hit the bulls eye. Its a cause I always am willing to point and promote as well. once again..bravo.
October 14th, 2009 at 13:47
Man without ‘ethics’ is inhumane and barbaric. Being out of country, the picture is flat clear to me how the media in Pakistan is misused and miss-presented. No law encircles media in Pakistan to prevent sensational and horrendous news. The competition among various channels has put far beyond every limitation and the role that media is playing is dreadful. Media’s role today has been confined to desensitize masses against the inhumane carnage of terrorists. The output of today’s Win-game among media will result in tomorrow’s numb and deaden human beings. Media shall need to be pulled before it messes up the whole nation.
October 14th, 2009 at 13:44
Asalam O Alikum
I truly second what Osama has said in his article but I guess it is us who are now interested in seeing every happening as it happen. So if we at first condemn this action & protest against the News Channel & report their action to NEPRA then may be there can be some change. As the positive journalism seems to be getting vanish from our society.
October 14th, 2009 at 11:18
I second every word you have written. Thats how it should be. With you on this. It surely is time to act.
Also, specially in Pakistan, given the situation, the brighter side of the picture needs to be highlighted. And the catchword surely is HOPE.
Good work, Osama bin (Javed).
October 14th, 2009 at 10:27
Yeah, I think the media giants need to look into the issue open-mindedly. Images of death and violence can affect, if not all, atleast children in a very bad way.
October 14th, 2009 at 9:31
Good points raised by the author , I think there should be a clear policy to what extend the violence can be shown. Off course when it come to TV channels they can always put PG/PG-18 in case material is full of gore.
Lastly I don’t think it makes a lot of difference in a long run , because if you watch closely the main source for entertainment for teenagers these days are internet and video game , you cannot block violence shown in these mediums.So we need to be pragmatic when talk about such issues.
October 14th, 2009 at 8:02
too much freedom, too less freedom, too much sensitivity, too less sensitivity on media, to do or not to do. Self-censured, state censured, or consumer censured. pick one or use your remote control and viewers discretion and parental discretion is required.
October 14th, 2009 at 8:01
I think we have Negative Media in Pakistan, there were days when people tried to get the KHABAR but nowadays people try to get the SACHCHI KHABAR..
This is delima, there is no censorship and the Media go to every extent to show anything no matter what it is and how it will impact its viewers of different ages.
October 14th, 2009 at 7:44
Osama,
good contribution,
I hope the Dawn News will also follow your suggestions.
October 14th, 2009 at 7:24
I agree. I remember after the first bombing on Benazir Bhutto’s rally in 2007, within the first few minutes of the broadcast by Geo News, they showed a someone’s head sitting there right in the middle of the road (without the body attached to it of course) and till this day, I can clearly recall what it looked like. It was a horrifying experience. There should be rules enforced on these news channel to not show images that could haunt people for many many years to come.
October 14th, 2009 at 3:40
Sine I dont live in Pakistan and never seen Dawn TV, I hope your own network is following the decent rule of not showing these gruesome images.
This crime has been comitted in Pakistan by Urdu newspapers, long before the advent of private Tv chanels. Thses newspapers are filled with pictures of mutilated bodies, dead bodies of children, and other horrific images. I understand the importance of freedom of speech and the providing news the way it is but this issue needs to be taken to next level and help save our kids from being exposed to this exploitaion of violance. Dawn Tv should take the initiative and do a peice on this topic and bring it to mainstream.
October 14th, 2009 at 3:02
The electronic media of Pakistan have used the unprecedented freedom given to them in the most shameful, irresponsible, unprofessional, unpatriotic and disgraceful manner imaginable under the guise of ‘freedom of expression’. Nowhere else in the world would one see avowed enemies of the state such as the Lal Masjid brigade given equal time with government officials. The daily parade of ‘experts’ ‘political analysts’ and marginalized ‘have been’ politicians rooting for the Taliban in sync with the news anchors is utterly despicable. The government should officially declare that it is at war with the Taliban and try any and all who side with the enemy for treason.
October 13th, 2009 at 17:41
let us see if media people read it and give a positive response. May Allah help us all.
October 13th, 2009 at 17:36
I totally agree with the authors view but I have one more point to raise which I think is very important as far as Media reporting is concerned.
When a channel raises an issue of some wrongdoing, it must also make sure that the wrongdoers get the punishment for their act and take the issue till the end…OTHERWISE..the ppl will start accepting that wrongdoing as part of their living/culture and may not raise voice against it if it happens again an again taking it as a normal practice….like raising the issue of Sugar,Electricity,Petrol price hikes…what happened??…now the people are taking it as normal..(who cares approach)..this is because nothing happened in favour of people…”So I want Media to take the responsiblity of ‘killing the issue’ and not only raising the issue to increase its viewrs”.
October 13th, 2009 at 17:32
Editorial tone of newspapers and to that effect what gets published in a newspaper is also determined by the audience ; I guess we demand sensationalsism and we get sensationalism. Also the fact that Pakistans’s media has recently got its “freadom” and is on it journey towards maturity, it still has got a long way to go. Having exclusive ownership of some prized news content , in this day and age of internet, require huge responsibility and wisdom, to decide wether to publish it or not. Frankly, I am not impressed by the choices made by Paksitani media in this case.
October 13th, 2009 at 17:10
People always disassociate themselves with death. Life is a daily affectaton of immortality. Every day the world news announces fatal catastrophes of every kind. Mass death somewhere, for some other people, is an everyday fact to which we all are to some degree inured. The U.S. government strives to prohibit publication of images of soldiers’ coffins, so that their deaths are to most merely numbers devoid of emotional impact and political fallout; the other extreme is the in-your-face carnage described above. Although there is a muddled middle ground, in my opinion it is preferable to show the true face and consequences of terrorism and war, rather than “protect” the masses from the gruesome reality. If journalism is PC rather than revelatory, it fails. (Of course, the mere display of images does not constitute objective reporting; anything and everything reported or shown can be given a purposeful slant, or constitute outright misrepresentation.)
October 13th, 2009 at 16:36
I fully agree with the author that there must be some code of conduct for the reporting as well. The media must have its own checks and balances and whenever some member violates the code, it should be penalised appropriately.
Media must refrain from creating panic and must not try to create scenes.
For a news channel beaming right into our drawning rooms,there must be a greater sense of responsibility, sensibility and ethics but apparently these are not forthcoming.
The writer has touched upon a very relevant topic which should have come a lot earlier but better late than never. It is a very apt article and our media must somehow pay heed & not continue to play with our sensitivities so cruelly which cannot be anything but lust for money & sensationalism.
October 13th, 2009 at 16:10
Pakistanis are not alone, Indians are also suffering the same fate at the hands of the media. Media really needs to sit up and take notice and draw the line. Else time will soon come when audiences will start drawing the line and when that happens, it will prove too costly for the private channels. They would have lost their credibility, the most important asset in this trade.
October 13th, 2009 at 16:09
A gud effort to make the giants of TV channles realised that there must be a sense of responsibilty in broadcasting. Specially urdu media their talk shows and the raw kind of coverage should be bannned immediately. Majority of our people dont complain about it, they watch what they tend to be watched. please all the broadcasting channels think about that and make a strict policy towards this act of irresponsibilty.
October 13th, 2009 at 16:05
I guess the author is trying to promote the cult of “embedded journalism” in the garb of sensitivity and restraint. This means the journalists should faithfully reproduce the ISPR press releases, with a few clerical comments.
The gory side of the events must be known and felt by every Pakistani. Loss of innocent lives in Swat, Waziristan is almost as regrettable as the carnage in mainstream Pakistan. It is a US dictated policy to downplay the true magnitude of the violence and strife in Pakistan; trivialize casualties as statistics … and get on with the scared duty of “War on Terror”
October 13th, 2009 at 15:43
I have been waiting for such an issue to be raised by the media itself for a few years now. It is of extreme improtance that we respect the privacy of people being victimized by the prevailent outburst of voilence in our country. I would really like the people responsible for such disgraceful act to start showing some degree of sympathy to the men, women and children who already have to go through such a tragedy in being the victims in the first place, and then being shown to the world in such a helpless situation. We should be extremely conscious of the fact that how much sorrow it brings to see such terrible images of people to the families of those who die and the injured victims who would later see themselves on TV. God Bless the People of Pakistan!
October 13th, 2009 at 15:35
I fully and truely agree with the author. It is a human psyche, if a person is continuously being bombarded with gruesome and brutal images along with sound, then mind gets use to and then it becomes a norm of life and a sense of detachment, disassociation and desensitivity permeates which is an alarming sign for an individual’s belief (Eimaan) and society as a whole, being characteristics like empathy, sympathy, care etc, are part and parcel of humanism especially for a Muslim.
October 13th, 2009 at 15:10
Finally… Many letters to the editors of various newspapers (that also have TV channels) have fallen upon deaf ears.
Good to see someone actually breaking that barrier and getting this important point across. Kudos
October 13th, 2009 at 15:08
I am SO glad! honestly really very very gladly that someone from the mainstream media has finally come out and said this! Thank you so much! I hope ppl listen! Let sanity prevail!
October 13th, 2009 at 14:42
Sensitivity and Pakistani TV channels.. isn’t that an oxymoron? In their frenzied, headlong rush for ‘Breaking News’ TV channels have abandoned all principles and ethics of balanced reporting and sensitive visuals. What was the need to show the decapacitated head of a suicide bomber time and again? Torn, bloodied limbs, blood, gore and mayhem are beamed into our living rooms day in and day out. The images are gruesome, but I have heard children saying “don’t switch the channel, I want to see the blood and the bodies.” For our new generation, this destruction of human life is becoming routine.
Currently, there is no code of conduct that the media here is following, and it seems that sensitivity in media will remain an elusive dream. All that the electronic media cares about is money and ratings, and since there are no checks and balances in place, they are making hay while the sun shines.
October 13th, 2009 at 14:39
I 100% agreed with the writer. Although our electronic media, specially TV channels are going through a transitioning face, but, yet they need maturity while telecasting NEWS.
what i observed while watcing any news channel, almost every reporter [80%] reporting like a Hockey/football commentory. while reporting any incident, He/She will not focus on the Facts/information, rather vomiting his/her own emotions.
The viewers, unfortunately, got hypnotized with these kind of emotional reporting that resulted in the frustration. All channels trying their best to onair each and every stuff of the incident without analysing the facts and the sensitivity of the nature of the incident.
October 13th, 2009 at 14:23
I agree 100% with this article.
October 13th, 2009 at 13:34
Should some form of censorship be used on the news reporting media. Many times, insensitive reporting leads to more trouble that it already is.
October 13th, 2009 at 13:29
In the 80s in Karachi we had a group known for killing people by hammers (the hathora group). In those days people used to stay awake at night for the fear that someone with the hammer may attack. In this connection we used to hear loud announcements from the mosques that the hammer group has entered the area and that thay have been seen at such and such place. but the fact is that we never had any attack from the group. Had the loudspeakers of the mosques not done the sensationalisation of the matter we would not have been so afraid.
I consider that some of the news channels/papers are just doing what the mosques loudspeakers did in the 80s (frieghtning the people specially children).
I completely agree with the author that there must be some code of conduct for the reporting as well. The news industry must have its own checks and balances and whenever some member violates the code should be penalised appropriately.
Media is reaching people. They definitely give news to the masses but they must refrain from creating panics. they must not try to create scenes.
We all have seen boys in saddar shouting the most sensational news. This could be an effective selling tactic for an individual selling a newspaper of any category but for a newspaper/channel having a lot broader coverage more responsibility, sensibility and ethics are indeed expected.
The writer has touched upon a topic which should have come a lot earlier but better late than never. It is a good article.
October 13th, 2009 at 13:27
I did’t even need to read the entire article and my head was nodding in agreement. The race to capture audience has knocked the senses out of the media. We have come to see death as a secondary item as compared to the “Breaking News”. The loss of intellect is a tragedy greater than death itself.