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Political satire shows catches PEMRA’s eye
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The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) plans to focus its attention on political satire on TV channels.
The authority has warned that if action is not taken such shows may `invite pubic wrath against the regulator`.
At a meeting here on Friday, PEMRA took serious notice of the programmes which, according to its members, amounted to character assassination, humiliation and defamation of dignitaries.
“These programmes are derogatory and the authority has received feedback from the public against these comic shows,” a PEMRA spokesman said, adding: “It has been decided that warnings and notices would be issued to TV channels airing such programmes.”
The spokesman said advertisements would be released in print media next week to direct the channels to stop airing funny portrayals of dignitaries.
The news director of a TV channel expressed displeasure over Pemra`s observation and said sarcastic portrayal of political leaders reflected public concern over their actions.
That was the reason people liked such shows, he said. He, however, added that the programmes should not be derogatory or insulting. “Public representatives and politicians are accountable to the masses all the time and not only at the time of elections.”
He said such programmes highlighted only misstatements and false promises by politicians.
Political satire TV shows are very popular among Pakistani TV viewers. Some of them are Hum Sab Umeed Se Hain (Geo TV), 4 Man Show (Aaj News), Banana News Network (Geo TV), Hasb-e-Haal (Duniya News), Siyasi Records (Duniya News), Darling (Express News), Hari Mirchain (Duniya News) and Khabarnaak (Geo TV).
People from all walks of life have condemned PEMRA’s intent to monitor the political satire TV shows and put restrictions on them. The editorial of Dawn wrote:
The Pakistan Electronic and Media Regulatory Authority should have thought twice before sending warnings and notices to some TV channels for airing “parody” or satire that purportedly humiliates and defames political personalities and allegedly constitutes character assassination. While we hate to sit in judgment on PEMRA’s competence to judge a given piece of satire, the issue involves civil liberties as much as Pakistani viewers’ right to entertainment in the midst of bomb blasts, soaring prices, traffic jams and blackouts in the heat of the South Asian summer. Satire does not amount to character assassination. It is either satire or it is character assassination; it can hardly be both. If PEMRA accepts it as satire, then it must put up with it, because it has not clarified the source of the “feedback” which has made it stir. It is quite possible some VIPs and public figures might have not appreciated the often hilarious programmes of which they are the butt. But the people on the whole like them, and that should be PEMRA’s yardstick rather than the annoyance and hurt some powerful public figures might have conveyed to it.
As it is, the Pakistani people’s daily fare of news on the electronic and print media hardly makes a good breakfast. No wonder, they should look forward to some laughs in the evening — provided there is electricity — to drive out the day’s load of stress. Does PEMRA want to snatch away from them even these few, tension-free moments? Millions of families watch them over dinner, and there is nothing to suggest that the parodies make them change their political preferences. Besides, today it is satire, tomorrow PEMRA may be tempted to tighten the noose around the media further in ways that could serve to erode the freedom the nation has achieved after decades of oppression.
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