There has been a great increase of late in hate speech in certain section of the electronic media. Since the boom of the electronic media back in the early years of this decade the current wave of hate mongering is the worst the industry has seen, despite the fact that the regulatory body is now a lot stringent in taking action against such hate mongering.
Allegations of treachery against the state, blasphemy allegations, incitement to violence are just some of the things that seem to have become a norm for certain groups. The result of this rampant and unchecked hatred could have potentially very serious consequences. The most dangerous thing about the trend is that this hate campaign is so relentless that many impressionable audience accept it as it is. The current toxic environment can also harm the industry as a whole, media industry in Pakistan has struggled for years before getting some sort of freedom, now certain groups are abusing this very freedom which is not only harming the reputation of the media industry but also putting the freedom gained after much struggle at risk.
Media houses should also sit together and formulate a plan of action to root out such elements from within their ranks. With such people in the media industry certain people may gain some short term advantage but in the longer sceheme of things this trend could potentially be cancerous for the industry.
State intervention or strict crackdown by regulatory body is not something that should ideally be encouraged and fair criticism among media groups should be promoted. However, when the line is crossed and freedom is abused to level serious allegations that could potentially put lives at risk, there is no option left but to ask the state to intervene. For a reminder the National Action Plan that was formulated after the deadly terror attack on Army Public School in Peshawar, one of the points of the said plan calls for’Strict action against the literature, newspapers and magazines promoting hatred, extremism, sectarianism and intolerance’. If this trend is not dealt with at this very stage, it could have very serious consequences for the industry as a whole. Free speech doesn’t give you the right to level false allegations and incite violence. The journalist community should also unite and disown such black sheep present within their ranks.
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