Aziz Akhmad notices a pattern in the way that Pakistanis move from story to story, going on outrage sprees in which we are fully consumed with a story for about a week, until we move on to the next big thing. Whatever the popular story of the moment, it gets all the attention as people frantically rush to judgment. It is as if each story of the moment is an imminent question of life and death.
As a result of this short attention span, we make rash decisions, and then move on to the next issue of the day without ever taking the time to determine if our solution was the proper or best one. Ironically, when the next issue of the day takes up our time, the last one becomes as unimportant as if it never existed.
When we write about media being too consumed with conspiracy fantasies and dramatics, it is not because we do not like entertainment or drama. But because we are facing some serious issues that need some solutions that have been determined by serious discussion. The solution we come to should be informed by facts and rooted in consensus, not rash decision making based on inferences and paranoid fantasies.
This is where the media has an all important role to play. By presenting facts objectively and from all perspectives, people are able to have discussions and decide for themselves what is the best solution. Additionally, media should follow up on stories to see how the solution is working, if it is working at all. Instead of only talking about the popular issue of the day, media could be a vehicle for making positive change.
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