The Biased Air

Media is more powerful than a Nuclear Blast to destroy a nation

They say, “Action speaks louder than words”, they also say, “Seeing is believing!” The cliché stands for itself as long as the reality projected is not just digital representation of tempered facts.

Media, in term, is a combination of News, discussions, decisions, facts, gossips, suggestions and rumors channeled through electronic and print devices with persuasive audio and visual frameworks. Metaphorically speaking, media is both the brain and visual processed by the brain. Objectively, it is the eyes of the nation as well as conscience per se.

In 20th century, the importance of media was truly acknowledged when it was reinforced with the inventions of Radio and Television. The power of speech and projection, conflated together, made it both effective and lethal enough to distract, if not shake, the prevalent beliefs and/or set foundations of any purposefully sculpted system on the grounds of shrewd yet gradual brainstorming.

In recent years, media has been realized as the most significant regular weapon for rooting and uprooting national consensuses thereby jeopardizing the integrity and identity of the subject nation(s). Media studies and strategies are now in utmost focus of movers and shakers of global politics and veterans of Defense and War strategies. Thus media is entrusted to pave carpet ways for the vivid articulation of foreign policies, achievement of vested interests, acquiring unjust political mileage and demonizing any particular cult, group, community or the whole nation-state.

Media is no more impartial truth; rather it is more likely a biased mess!

Thanks to the controlled and well-intercepted media, we see wonders. We see George W. Bush becoming president, in his presidential contest 2000 against Mr. Al Gore, reportedly announced winner from the state of Florida, unanimously, by all television channels yet there was a spark to be flashed by the one and only Fox TV, that plagued Gore’s ironically factual dreams and finally led to the most unbelievable upset of the American history, rightly resented by Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens, in his dissent from the majority opinion in Bush v. Gore:

“Although we may never know with certainty the identity of the winner of this year's presidential election, the identity of the loser is perfectly clear. It is the nation's confidence in the judge as an impartial guardian of the rule of law.”

That was the opening of Pandora’s box that proved fatal even for many personal friends of the elected president. Initially, an eventual aura of fear was created for the poor Americans highlighting their insecurity and vulnerability to savage alien nations such as Afghanistan, Iraq and Iran in the retrospect of a state-sponsored, agency coordinated reckless stunt of 9/11. It was just like training a poodle on commands such as ‘Sit down!’, ‘Stand up!’, ‘Walk!, run!’ and ‘Roll over!’.

Petrified as desired, the American poodle fell into the realm of uncertainty thereby ratifying the insanely baseless decisions ever taken. The American media was not kind enough to project the both sides of the story rather hatred and provocation were the main ingredients aired to poison the whole world against the poorest of nations, ditched into pandemics, famines and sheer disparities. The angels turned into monsters and the world witnessed an unprecedented panorama of destruction and devastation. The same was repeated with Iraq, and is now, in the offing for North Korea or, possibly, Iran.

The worst part is that the jaundiced media justified it.

Lies, lies and lies! The pelted falsehood was too heavier to sustain itself and initially bleak and then strenuous agitations, throughout the world, shook the cores of conspiracy theorists. WMDs were later translated as Weapons of Mass Disappearance; America’s super spy, Mr. Tenet, was found hiding himself under the ludicrous cover of Faulty Intelligence. With the remorseless killing of Dr. David Kelly, Britain tried to wipe out its sweating embarrassment. Whitehouse itself, expressed blatant queasiness every now and then by staging the trial abomination of warrior princess, Ms. Condoleza Rice, in the wake of absence of concrete evidence for Al-qaeda/Afghanistan’s direct interpolation in 9/11. Biological Warfare is yet to be found in Iraq.

Media’s one-eyed or allied, in recent terms, approach was barbaric enough to cover the Quest for Oil and resources, by a corporate oligarchy, under the projection of false Clash of Civilizations that, too, was deliberately talked about by so-called Senior Fellows, the American Policy makers such as Samuel P. Huntington. Consequently, generations were lost without sign, under the irony clutches of American eagle.

Media’s bias is equally responsible for this century’s genocides.

Media, it seems, first makes people lose their minds, then lose control and finally lose themselves in the end which is generally most traumatic for the whole human race in whatever perspective.

This Whispering Devil is now also used for socio-moral wars and impressions. With India’s strategically increasing hegemony over regional and international media, heavily funded by state sponsored organizations and critical agencies, facts are twisted and regenerated along the Indian perspective against certain cursed nations and school of thoughts. Also the ages old, traditional and typical rivalry is fueled by the cavalier display of anti-ethnic programs insinuating tainted values and inculcating otherwise perverted ideas in young minds following dogmas of their religion. Coupled with nudity and vulgarity, this media invasion is directly hitting the very structure and chastity of our society thereby resulting into juvenile delinquencies such as violence, drug-abuse, philandery, inter-caste marriages and disbelief in familial bonds.

If this continues, Pakistani, would soon be a more pluralist nation than a Muslim one. Hitting the main integrity and identity is the mainstream purpose behind all maneuvers, thereby eventually making the national conscience sleep dormant even for genuinely dire causes.

This is not the time to condemn, this is the time to accept and redress. Media, if used for constructive purposes, could be an angel-incarnate, literally saving the world. It is possible because of media only that the world is fully aware of the sufferings and losses of the disaster struck unfortunate community of forward north. Let us use it for amelioration and, believe me, the world would be a far better place to live!

I would like to end up with President Bush’s punch line in defending the charges of monopolizing the media, where he says,

“Fool me once…, Shame on you!….., fool me again…, and I won’t be there for you!!!”