In her Daily Times column today, Aliya Anjum continues the public outcry for a responsible and constructive media that provides something of value for the people and not just cynical politics to increase advertising revenue. Will the media barons hear this plea?

n the Hollywood flick ‘Spiderman’, the protagonist receives an advice from his uncle: “With great power comes great responsibility.” The Press Freedom Index (PFI) of 2009 prepared by Reporters without Borders has ranked Denmark at the top spot, which is not surprising given the international outrage that followed its sacrilegious cartoons. The freedom of the media is a double-edged sword and it is rarely allowed to be wielded freely. It may be noted that the world’s ‘greatest’ democracy, the US, barely makes it to the 20th position in the PFI. Even the US does not let its media go unchecked. Those who view the US from a superficial pop culture perspective cite caricatures of President Bush appearing in the print media and hail the freedom of speech. However, foreign policy is a restricted area for the media of the world’s sole superpower, which claims to champion the cause of freedom of speech. The war in Afghanistan is covered with major censorship. Dead bodies are never shown on television and casualties, rarely discussed, are under-reported. The same US media has zero tolerance for even the slightest criticism of Israel. The infamous Turkish Flotilla attack and its resulting remark cost 89-year-old Helen Thomas her job at the White House — a job she held for half a century. The free media of the US is, therefore, largely a myth. It is free as long as inane issues such as the private lives of celebrities are discussed, but it is hardly free when the interests of the establishment are threatened.
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