The way ahead
Peace initiatives will raise the urge for peace and the need for the allocation of more resources to the cause
By Shabbir Hussain
While relations between India and Pakistan face their share of ups and downs, the Aman ki Asha initiative by leading media industries of both the countries is a laudable step. The intended spirit of the initiative is to forge peace in the region by highlighting commonalities between the two peoples and provide a platform where the conflicting issues can be discussed and resolved peacefully. This campaign essentially comes under the purview of media, a widely taught and practised academic discipline that is yet to make its mark in South Asia.
Unfortunately, peace postures are ridiculed and are tinged with conspiracies. The antagonistic media campaign launched by the competitors of both Jang group and Times of India is a case in point. Elsewhere in the world also, media have got this penchant for reporting on conflicts to gain viewership and outdo their competitors.
In some cases, the statements by politicians and analysis by experts frighten readers and viewers by painting an extremely bleak future. The enemy image of one state is reinforced by reporting sensationally and without giving space to alternative viewpoints. Surely, the people of both countries are not as jingoistic as they are shown at times.
The Aman ki Asha spirit will encourage media persons to discuss bilateral conflicts as a problem, involve other groups, and focus on the sufferings of common people. The universally accepted values of objectivity and balance also demand to check the war-mongering and inflammatory rhetoric in media and adopt healthier techniques of disseminating information. If media persons have to play an ethical responsibility, it is mandatory for them to understand the conflicts contextually and report the underlying causes of conflicts.
Media practitioners need to realise that journalistic objectivity does not mean simply factual reporting but also taking responsibility for what is being reported. A cursory look at any of the country's media discourse will reveal much pain is taken to report on the 'evil intentions' of the adversary and very little is done to reveal the whole truth by contextualising the issue.
Editors need to give a broader perspective of the conflict; show greater benefits peace will accrue and avoid making half-baked stories. Maligning one country by the other's media will not serve the purpose as it will discourage policy makers to initiate peace talks. Instead, media must spearhead the agenda for peace for the respective countries to start normalising their ties.
Unfortunately, media in both countries is being used by war-mongers and self-styled experts to propagate their venomous viewpoints. All our contending issues relate to the 1947 separation of both states and, hence, must be discussed in this perspective. Relying on symptoms of conflicts will further exacerbate issues in a region that is thickly populated and where youth happen to occupy a major portion of more than one billion people.
While the road ahead is full of irritants, one must say kudos to the exponents of Aman ki Asha and encourage them to continue this noble cause. The next step by the two organisations in this direction must be training of at least two media persons in peace media studies and allotment of permanent space for Aman ki Asha columns
Such endeavours will raise the urge for peace and need for the allocation of more resources to the cause. It is essential to inform the mainstream media about the efficacy of such campaigns and prepare them for taking more initiatives in this regard. The early we realise it, the better it is.
The writer is an Islamabad-based media researcher, Assistant Professor at the Riphah Institute of Media Studies.
Sunday, May 02, 2010
By Shabbir Hussain
While relations between India and Pakistan face their share of ups and downs, the Aman ki Asha initiative by leading media industries of both the countries is a laudable step. The intended spirit of the initiative is to forge peace in the region by highlighting commonalities between the two peoples and provide a platform where the conflicting issues can be discussed and resolved peacefully. This campaign essentially comes under the purview of media, a widely taught and practised academic discipline that is yet to make its mark in South Asia.
Unfortunately, peace postures are ridiculed and are tinged with conspiracies. The antagonistic media campaign launched by the competitors of both Jang group and Times of India is a case in point. Elsewhere in the world also, media have got this penchant for reporting on conflicts to gain viewership and outdo their competitors.
In some cases, the statements by politicians and analysis by experts frighten readers and viewers by painting an extremely bleak future. The enemy image of one state is reinforced by reporting sensationally and without giving space to alternative viewpoints. Surely, the people of both countries are not as jingoistic as they are shown at times.
The Aman ki Asha spirit will encourage media persons to discuss bilateral conflicts as a problem, involve other groups, and focus on the sufferings of common people. The universally accepted values of objectivity and balance also demand to check the war-mongering and inflammatory rhetoric in media and adopt healthier techniques of disseminating information. If media persons have to play an ethical responsibility, it is mandatory for them to understand the conflicts contextually and report the underlying causes of conflicts.
Media practitioners need to realise that journalistic objectivity does not mean simply factual reporting but also taking responsibility for what is being reported. A cursory look at any of the country's media discourse will reveal much pain is taken to report on the 'evil intentions' of the adversary and very little is done to reveal the whole truth by contextualising the issue.
Editors need to give a broader perspective of the conflict; show greater benefits peace will accrue and avoid making half-baked stories. Maligning one country by the other's media will not serve the purpose as it will discourage policy makers to initiate peace talks. Instead, media must spearhead the agenda for peace for the respective countries to start normalising their ties.
Unfortunately, media in both countries is being used by war-mongers and self-styled experts to propagate their venomous viewpoints. All our contending issues relate to the 1947 separation of both states and, hence, must be discussed in this perspective. Relying on symptoms of conflicts will further exacerbate issues in a region that is thickly populated and where youth happen to occupy a major portion of more than one billion people.
While the road ahead is full of irritants, one must say kudos to the exponents of Aman ki Asha and encourage them to continue this noble cause. The next step by the two organisations in this direction must be training of at least two media persons in peace media studies and allotment of permanent space for Aman ki Asha columns
Such endeavours will raise the urge for peace and need for the allocation of more resources to the cause. It is essential to inform the mainstream media about the efficacy of such campaigns and prepare them for taking more initiatives in this regard. The early we realise it, the better it is.
The writer is an Islamabad-based media researcher, Assistant Professor at the Riphah Institute of Media Studies.
Sunday, May 02, 2010
Aman ki Asha: Profit of peace
Congratulating Nawaz Sharif on the electoral win of his political party, Aman ki Asha's plea to both governments continues to be: "Stay the course". Let the people re .....more
Amritsar village celebrates Nawaz Sharif's win
By Yudhvir Rana
JATTI UMRA: As Nawaz Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz (PML-N) emerged as the largest
party in the recently held elections in Pak .....more
By Yudhvir RanaJATTI UMRA: As Nawaz Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz (PML-N) emerged as the largest
party in the recently held elections in Pak .....more
Testimonials
"Pakistan and India must focus on culture exchange initiatives, especially for the youth, who play an instrumen .....more
Imagine the heavenly smell of stable peace
"Pakistan and India must focus on culture exchange initiatives, especially for the youth, who play an instrumen .....more
Peace museum coming up along the border
By Yudhvir Rana
A peace museum celebrating divided Punjab's shared architectural, cultural and culinary heritage is coming up at Attari near the India-Pakis .....more
By Yudhvir RanaA peace museum celebrating divided Punjab's shared architectural, cultural and culinary heritage is coming up at Attari near the India-Pakis .....more
Condemnable attack on unarmed prisoner (PART II)
The murderous attacks on an Indian prisoner in Pakistan and a Pakistani prisoner in India highlight the urgency of developing long term, humane policies to protect th .....more
RIP Ashfaq Fateh of Toba Tek Singh
By Beena Sarwar
On April 20, peace activist and educationist Ashfaq Fateh, 41, passed away in hospital after doctors unsuccessfully operated on a liver tumo .....more
By Beena SarwarOn April 20, peace activist and educationist Ashfaq Fateh, 41, passed away in hospital after doctors unsuccessfully operated on a liver tumo .....more
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The News on Sunday Special Report: India Pakistan prisoners
We probably didn't need to do this Special Report. Newspaper stories don't matter when it comes to Indians in Pakistani jails and vice versa. In fact, 'vice versa' sums it up. We do to them what they do to us.
Except when the two countries decide to begin talking, yet again! This time a little before the foreign secretary level talks, some Pakistani prisoners were released by India (and vice versa must have happened) and some more were release....read more
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For the past 2 years the Jang Group and Geo have been working on a project of great national interest; one that we hope will help usher in an era of peace and prosperity in the country and indeed, in the region. And one that hopefully all Pakistanis can be proud of.
The Jang Group has entered into an agreement with the Times of India Group, the largest media group of India, to campaign for peace betw
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