Hameed Haroon
In the context of sharply growing polarizations in the Gulf, Central and South Asian regions, the demands made upon media with respect to objective, credible and fair reportage have sharply escalated.
Unfortunately, freedoms associated with media - particularly the print media - in this region have not evolved sufficiently so as to be able to sustain the independence of media institutions in promoting an objective journalistic reportage. The historical legacy of a non-competitive and nepotistic electronic media evolving from controlled state monopolies has not been particularly helpful in this respect either. When the sensitivities and insecurities of national governments attempting to stride the ideological divide on the basis of policies advocating the use of force are added to this equation the resulting climate of intolerance in our part of the world can only be considered as explosive when viewed in the context of eroding press freedoms.
A few rays of light in an otherwise grim scenario continue to provide some cause for hope in a region where an increasing globalization and the proliferation of satellite-based private television channels and the spread of Internet as a means of regional communication, have prevented this climate of intolerance from escalating into a further encroachment of press freedoms.
One such cause for hope is the heightened, but as yet not entirely well informed, engagement of international media in this region. We urge these international media conglomerates to initiate a continuing dialogue with mature and fledgling media institutions in this region, not only to effect a refinement in the processing of information with respect to the reporting occurrence of conflict in this region, but to reach out to engage with the sharply dividing ideologies that portend ill for the future of representative and responsible governance in our part of the world.
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