Pakistani media playing balanced role: UK professor

Professor Ivon Gabor, research Professor of University of Luton, has said that media in Pakistan is playing a balanced role as it criticises negative moves of the government besides highlighting positive ones.
"Media in Pakistan needs training as how to act in a society shifting from dictatorship to democracy and how to inform masses about their rights," he said while addressing a seminar on "The paradox of political communications in a mass media democracy", held at Riphah International University, Mizan Campus here on Thursday.
The seminar was attended by academia, journalists, students from various universities and colleges and people from other walks of life. Professor Joanne of Department of Media Art and Design of Bredfordshire University, Pro-Chancellor of the varsity Dr Hassan, Vice Chancellor Dr Anis Ahmed and Professor Mansoor also addressed the seminar.
"Media all over the world is undemocratic and with the passage of time it would turn democratic. Media in democracy should relay information required to enable citizens to make informed judgements and to represent and crystallise public opinion to the politicians. Media should give politicians a space to respond to public concerns and to set out their policies," Professor Gabor said.
He said that crux of democracy is that people should be given correct information and to keep them aware of what is happening around them, and added that without information democracy is blind which means media has a big role in democracy. In view of politicians the democracy is that they get re-elected but it is responsibility of media to highlight all their negative and positive moves, he said.
Gabor said that governments tend to make communications about their work a priority than delivery, which make them to offer 'spin information' to their people about past, present and future. The spin usually does not meet the reality fading the trust of democracy, he added.
"Journalists, politicians and government ministers are untrustworthy people, while doctors, teachers and priests are most trustworthy people. We held a poll about the trustworthiness of various professionals and people gave clear verdict against media persons and politicians as 79 and 73 percent people, respectively, showed mistrust on the two", he added.
Talking about Britain, he said that people of UK have clear view that their political institutions and politicians are failing, untrustworthy and disconnected from the great mass of the British people. We have been struck by just how wide and deep is the contempt felt for formal politics in Britain, he added.
These trends in Britain have resulted in low turnover in recent elections, he said adding that Iraq war and various other reasons have forced people to remain away from the polls.