How much is enough? Media access in Pakistan
Public debate around media policy in Pakistan centres on isolated issues that lend themselves to news headlines: the YouTube ban; IT Minister Anusha Rehman’s threatening words to Google; the Supreme Court Chief Justice’s directive that PEMRA define the word ‘obscenity’.
Such issues are of course deeply concerning to those who defend free speech and freedom of expression. But they are also symptoms of broader problems across the media landscape in Pakistan that stem from a poor understanding within government circles, regulatory bodies, civil society organisations and the public at large about the media’s democratic role.
A free media is of utmost importance in a functional democratic set-up, particularly in its roles as agenda-setter, gate-keeper and watchdog. Media access, meanwhile, is key to the democratisation process since a wide spectrum of information must be available to citizens for them to make prudent decisions about policies and electoral choices.
Media reforms in 2002 that led to the liberalisation of Pakistan’s broadcast media sector, and the media proliferation that followed, cause many to conclude that Pakistani media is playing a democratic role. As media scholar Marcus Michaelsen has written, “the media has certainly contributed to a re-initiation of Pakistan’s democratic transition.” No doubt, the greater availability of news media via privately owned satellite and cable television channels, FM radio stations and growing internet access have enabled more information to reach wider segments of the population and fostered an urban culture of news media consumption. But a decade hence, has Pakistan made sufficient gains in terms of even and diverse media access?
Mapping Digital Media: Pakistan, a new report from the Open Society Foundations, analyses Pakistan’s media landscape and asks how the digitisation of Pakistani media has impacted its ability to play a democratic role. A key aspect of this research is gauging whether media access -- of news media in particular -- is even, widespread and sufficiently diverse across the country. Unfortunately, the report finds that Pakistan still has a long way to go in this regard.
While Pakistan’s private television news media -- comprising digital satellite channels that are distributed by cable operators - is widely feted as free and vibrant, access to it remains limited. According to Gallup Pakistan, there are 86 million television viewers in Pakistan, but only half of them can access cable television. The remainder are only able to access the state-run, analog terrestrial broadcasts of the Pakistan Television Network (PTV). Moreover, according to official statistics, there are only 12 million television sets in the country. While this figure is likely an under-estimate, it accurately indicates that most television viewing in Pakistan is sporadic and communal. According to one national survey, satellite and cable television access also varies considerably by region; while 93 percent of television viewers in Karachi have access to satellite channels via cable, viewers in remote, northern regions such as Hazara and Malakand in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province can only access terrestrial broadcasts. A BBC survey further revealed that 69 percent of the urban population had access to satellite and cable television compared with 11 percent of rural respondents. The ongoing energy crisis, which leads to hours-long blackouts each day, further compromises this limited media access.
Such issues are of course deeply concerning to those who defend free speech and freedom of expression. But they are also symptoms of broader problems across the media landscape in Pakistan that stem from a poor understanding within government circles, regulatory bodies, civil society organisations and the public at large about the media’s democratic role.
A free media is of utmost importance in a functional democratic set-up, particularly in its roles as agenda-setter, gate-keeper and watchdog. Media access, meanwhile, is key to the democratisation process since a wide spectrum of information must be available to citizens for them to make prudent decisions about policies and electoral choices.
Media reforms in 2002 that led to the liberalisation of Pakistan’s broadcast media sector, and the media proliferation that followed, cause many to conclude that Pakistani media is playing a democratic role. As media scholar Marcus Michaelsen has written, “the media has certainly contributed to a re-initiation of Pakistan’s democratic transition.” No doubt, the greater availability of news media via privately owned satellite and cable television channels, FM radio stations and growing internet access have enabled more information to reach wider segments of the population and fostered an urban culture of news media consumption. But a decade hence, has Pakistan made sufficient gains in terms of even and diverse media access?
Mapping Digital Media: Pakistan, a new report from the Open Society Foundations, analyses Pakistan’s media landscape and asks how the digitisation of Pakistani media has impacted its ability to play a democratic role. A key aspect of this research is gauging whether media access -- of news media in particular -- is even, widespread and sufficiently diverse across the country. Unfortunately, the report finds that Pakistan still has a long way to go in this regard.
While Pakistan’s private television news media -- comprising digital satellite channels that are distributed by cable operators - is widely feted as free and vibrant, access to it remains limited. According to Gallup Pakistan, there are 86 million television viewers in Pakistan, but only half of them can access cable television. The remainder are only able to access the state-run, analog terrestrial broadcasts of the Pakistan Television Network (PTV). Moreover, according to official statistics, there are only 12 million television sets in the country. While this figure is likely an under-estimate, it accurately indicates that most television viewing in Pakistan is sporadic and communal. According to one national survey, satellite and cable television access also varies considerably by region; while 93 percent of television viewers in Karachi have access to satellite channels via cable, viewers in remote, northern regions such as Hazara and Malakand in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province can only access terrestrial broadcasts. A BBC survey further revealed that 69 percent of the urban population had access to satellite and cable television compared with 11 percent of rural respondents. The ongoing energy crisis, which leads to hours-long blackouts each day, further compromises this limited media access.
No comments:
Post a Comment