Braith
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Dear Media, Stop Stereotyping Pakhtuns and KP
… and in-fact every other ethnic group for that matter.
For decades our media has deliberately presented Pakhtuns as the epitome of backwardness, stupidity, chauvinism, violence and drug addiction.
Every time you see a Pakhtun in a Pakistani drama, it would mostly be in the role of a chowkidaar or a taxi driver whose stupidity knows no bounds, and who provides comic relief at his or her personal expense. Not that these professions are bad or lesser in any manner and should be treated respectfully.
And who can forget the never-ending stream of nonsensical Pathan jokes that are constantly whirled in our faces!
This myopic and reprehensible depiction of a diverse ethnic group like Pakhtuns in such a narrow spectrum of roles restricts them to be viewed and perceived as a homogeneous group.
It was only a few days back that a responsible ex-cricketer, Aqib Javed, who is regular feature on various cricket talk shows uttered something very nonsensical about Pathans on a TV show. It was irresponsible and highly unlikely for a national ex-cricketer.
There are countless other instances when media presents Pakhtuns in bad light. For example, the recently published article in one of the most well respected English daily — DAWN, which is otherwise known to be a credible newspaper with high journalistic standards.
The article went viral and was shared and re-shared in great numbers on social media. The title of the article was “Smoking dead scorpions is KP’s latest dangerous addiction”. It was nothing less than a sensationalist tabloid headlines guaranteed to get your attention, clearly suggesting that a great number of people smoke dead scorpions in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
However, after reading the news item and delving into the details one realizes that the title of the news is misleading and deceptive, to say the least. And that an entire province has been typecasted unfairly just to make a sensationalist and attention-grabbing headline. It’s a classic example of compromising journalistic principles and ethical standards to grab more eyeballs.
The writer could have used the mentioned title only if the research, if there was any, had fulfilled the following criteria.
One, if a significant amount of people in KP had been smoking dead scorpions. Two, if hardcore data was available and presented to support these claims. Third, if KP was a special case or if the region had any special relevance.
However, to make the matter worse, no numbers have been provided. The writer relies solely on the accounts of two individuals, one being an addict and the other a former employee of KP’s narcotics control department. No further data is provided.
In fact, the article itself admits that “there is little research available on scorpion addiction because its users cannot be identified as easily. For one, scorpion smoking is practiced in secret places, and secondly, no data is yet available on an official level. The United Nation Drug’s office has not investigated the addiction in its reports.”
Yet, the reporter has the audacity to ignore this piece of information and draw misleading conclusions that have no legs to stand on. In fact, it is even more outrageous on part of the news daily to approve such shallow and unprofessional piece of news.
Without having any credible knowledge of the size of the drug (in this case scorpions smoking) addict population of KP, and without conducting a thorough research, the paper published an article with a headline to typecast an entire province, which already finds it hard to manage its image and break the stereotypes that has been imposed upon it.
The popularity of this article on social media also indicates a dangerous tendency on part of our readers as well, that without verifying and researching facts they would believe anything that is fed to them by the media. And any such news, which is not verified and systematically investigated, could still be shared in great numbers. An example that comes to mind is the infamous Water Kit episode. The media and the Govt. celebrated it alike, its so-called inventor was lauded as a national hero. While checking if his water kit could really deliver what it claimed and whether or not it negates the laws of physics didn’t matter. What mattered was a glossy, eye-catching, attention-grabbing headline.
This shows how important and powerful the media is, and how quickly it can manipulate and form public opinion. It also shows the kind of responsibility media needs to exercise when deciding what to publish in order to avoid getting carried away on the waves of sensationalism. Because a slight dereliction of duty could result in serious ramifications.
It is the role of the media to help create an informed citizenry. And it should start with developing and promoting a culture of research, investigation and well thought out reasoning by setting and upholding a high level of journalistic standards.
These steps will go a long way in creating a culture of research and debate. It will develop a society, which is both just and pluralistic.
https://medium.com/@SalmanAhmad/dear-media-stop-stereotyping-pakhtuns-and-kp-9aad4a5835ca#.x4oka35mw
… and in-fact every other ethnic group for that matter.
For decades our media has deliberately presented Pakhtuns as the epitome of backwardness, stupidity, chauvinism, violence and drug addiction.
Every time you see a Pakhtun in a Pakistani drama, it would mostly be in the role of a chowkidaar or a taxi driver whose stupidity knows no bounds, and who provides comic relief at his or her personal expense. Not that these professions are bad or lesser in any manner and should be treated respectfully.
And who can forget the never-ending stream of nonsensical Pathan jokes that are constantly whirled in our faces!
This myopic and reprehensible depiction of a diverse ethnic group like Pakhtuns in such a narrow spectrum of roles restricts them to be viewed and perceived as a homogeneous group.
It was only a few days back that a responsible ex-cricketer, Aqib Javed, who is regular feature on various cricket talk shows uttered something very nonsensical about Pathans on a TV show. It was irresponsible and highly unlikely for a national ex-cricketer.
There are countless other instances when media presents Pakhtuns in bad light. For example, the recently published article in one of the most well respected English daily — DAWN, which is otherwise known to be a credible newspaper with high journalistic standards.
The article went viral and was shared and re-shared in great numbers on social media. The title of the article was “Smoking dead scorpions is KP’s latest dangerous addiction”. It was nothing less than a sensationalist tabloid headlines guaranteed to get your attention, clearly suggesting that a great number of people smoke dead scorpions in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
However, after reading the news item and delving into the details one realizes that the title of the news is misleading and deceptive, to say the least. And that an entire province has been typecasted unfairly just to make a sensationalist and attention-grabbing headline. It’s a classic example of compromising journalistic principles and ethical standards to grab more eyeballs.
The writer could have used the mentioned title only if the research, if there was any, had fulfilled the following criteria.
One, if a significant amount of people in KP had been smoking dead scorpions. Two, if hardcore data was available and presented to support these claims. Third, if KP was a special case or if the region had any special relevance.
However, to make the matter worse, no numbers have been provided. The writer relies solely on the accounts of two individuals, one being an addict and the other a former employee of KP’s narcotics control department. No further data is provided.
In fact, the article itself admits that “there is little research available on scorpion addiction because its users cannot be identified as easily. For one, scorpion smoking is practiced in secret places, and secondly, no data is yet available on an official level. The United Nation Drug’s office has not investigated the addiction in its reports.”
Yet, the reporter has the audacity to ignore this piece of information and draw misleading conclusions that have no legs to stand on. In fact, it is even more outrageous on part of the news daily to approve such shallow and unprofessional piece of news.
Without having any credible knowledge of the size of the drug (in this case scorpions smoking) addict population of KP, and without conducting a thorough research, the paper published an article with a headline to typecast an entire province, which already finds it hard to manage its image and break the stereotypes that has been imposed upon it.
The popularity of this article on social media also indicates a dangerous tendency on part of our readers as well, that without verifying and researching facts they would believe anything that is fed to them by the media. And any such news, which is not verified and systematically investigated, could still be shared in great numbers. An example that comes to mind is the infamous Water Kit episode. The media and the Govt. celebrated it alike, its so-called inventor was lauded as a national hero. While checking if his water kit could really deliver what it claimed and whether or not it negates the laws of physics didn’t matter. What mattered was a glossy, eye-catching, attention-grabbing headline.
This shows how important and powerful the media is, and how quickly it can manipulate and form public opinion. It also shows the kind of responsibility media needs to exercise when deciding what to publish in order to avoid getting carried away on the waves of sensationalism. Because a slight dereliction of duty could result in serious ramifications.
It is the role of the media to help create an informed citizenry. And it should start with developing and promoting a culture of research, investigation and well thought out reasoning by setting and upholding a high level of journalistic standards.
These steps will go a long way in creating a culture of research and debate. It will develop a society, which is both just and pluralistic.
https://medium.com/@SalmanAhmad/dear-media-stop-stereotyping-pakhtuns-and-kp-9aad4a5835ca#.x4oka35mw
