Is Freedom of Press & Watchdog Function Necessary for the Development of Democracy?

YES, People utilize their voting right and bring their representatives to the power for the resolution of socio-economic issues, issues of their basic necessities and development; therefore, electorates have the right to keep an eye on their activities. And why not perform watchdog function, these representatives usually after achieving seats overlook their electorates as well as issues relating to them. For example, absenteeism of President Asif Ali Zardari while our homeland was struck by the worst floods in living memory. Mr. Zardari whose party’s slogan is Roti, Kapra & Makan went to see his own chateau in France when thousands of villages swept away in flood.

The right to the freedom of speech/expression, as well as the freedom of the press, as a corollary of this right, represents fundamental values of the modern pluralist democracy. Without them, many of the progresses achieved in the contemporary world couldn’t be imagined. That is why all these rights must be defended.

However, these rights that were hard to acquire in the difficult process of democracy’s birth, are nowadays abusively exercised in subtle forms by one of their major beneficiary which should have been one of their main defenders: the mass-media.

Talha Jalal is one of the best analysts of media ethics in Pakistan. In one of his article, he threw light upon Pakistan’s media. He stated that the media has started seeming a bit apathetic. This unchecked public service has made it too easy to manipulate the illiterate masses. Today, prominent news channels have rather dangerously attained the ability to sway public opinion (with their sometimes heavily opinionated broadcasting). From airing uncensored violence, showing political ‘cat fights’ to calling government functionaries the ‘Zardari mafia’, media ethics have often been kept at bay with the excuse of freedom of expression.

 While media freedom is still much celebrated in Pakistan and acts as the self-proclaimed savior of the Pakistani people, a combination of unprofessional news channels, political debates-cum-public-bashing-of-politicians and public brainwashing through airing loaded caricatures that call for moral righteousness, all point to the fact that the media industry in Pakistan is still very juvenile. Perhaps eight years is not long enough to attain maturity and professionalism.

The media in Pakistan is fast turning into a self-serving (rather than public-serving) industry — an industry that glorifies itself, is self-righteous and, most discomforting of all, has a huge persecution complex.

He concluded “Media stakeholders in Pakistan collectively need to reassess the overarching role of the media in Pakistani society and come up with a collective ethics and compliance code for journalists and the print and electronic media. Such measures will not only bring a positive change to Pakistani society but also strengthen the media itself and bring more institutional credibility.”

Social democracy states that the freedom of the press, as well as the freedom of expression, is essential for the defense and development of democracy. The experience of the last decade in Central Europe, for example, shows that mass media served decisively in the construction of the civil society and in censuring the authoritarian trends of some politicians or parties. Also, it corrected and continues to correct, the excesses, negligence and management errors in the countries with a consolidated democracy. Without the freedom of expression, and thus without the freedom of mass media, a democracy cannot be conceived. But this freedom needs to be moved towards the accurate direction for the betterment of society.

“And I believe that good journalism, good television, can make our world a better place.”
Christiane Amanpour