Why Pak News Today is Quite Similar to What it Was Decades Ago?

If you read newspapers of the late 80s or early 60s randomly, you would see that some news developments are common. Ultimately you would realize that Pak news today is quite similar to what it was decades ago. Some news updates regularly feature in both electronic and print media. Since the inception of Pakistan, economic issues, corruption, and inflation have been the part and parcel of news in Pakistan.

 

Sadly, these are the chronic issues of Pakistan. Throughout the history of Pakistan economy of the country has been in the doldrums. Economic issues have been in the headlines since the very first day of the establishment of Pakistan. In the early years, insufficient water supply from India and the refugee crisis compounded the economic woes of Pakistan. Later on, a plethora of other issues including the balance of payments crisis caused economic stagnation in the country. The word ‘economy’ is perhaps the most repeated in newspapers in Pakistan.

 

Incompetence and corruption of government officials have been another important headline for media outlets and journalists. Every government has faced corruption allegations from opposition parties and the media. Corruption has been a regular part of the news for decades. In recent years Sharif family and the Panama scandal have got much coverage in the headlines news due to corruption allegations. Different institutions have been established to check on corruption in the country but unfortunately, they have not been able to bring any considerable progress. Thus, unbridled corruption in the country provides a lot of content to journalists to feature in news.

 

The third most common news development in media is the uncontrolled inflation in the country. Skyrocketing inflation in the country often draws public ire. The life of the masses man becomes miserable due to the soaring prices of food commodities. Over the course of history, several governments have been subject to criticism for their inability to stem the burgeoning inflation in the country. Price of petrol and food items including flour, rice, pulses, sugar, meat, and vegetables affect the life of the common man. Unfortunately, often many of these food items are not available in the market at affordable prices. Therefore inflation is as commonplace in Pak news today as it was decades ago.

 

 

Following are the two major motivations for journalists to keep focusing on the above-mentioned issues in news stories.

 

Severity of the issues 

All the three above-mentioned issues strongly impact the life of the masses. Inflation affects the well-being of the common man. It makes life miserable. People become critical of government policies due to inflation. Thus, journalists tend to grab the attention of the masses by putting more stress on inflation.

 

Moreover, economic issues have widespread impacts on different aspects of life in the country. It impacts the national image of the country among the comity of the nations. Whenever Pakistan signs a loan agreement with IMF it not only impacts the well-being of the masses but also damages the national image of the country.

 

Similarly, corruption has a negative impact on the lives of the masses. When the tax money is embezzled, the government cannot provide better services to the masses at different levels. Thus, these issues get considerable coverage in news headlines as they have widespread impacts on the masses.

 

Propaganda against government

Additionally, often media outlets deliberately spotlight these issues to defame the incumbent government. All the above-mentioned issues including corruption, economic issues, and inflation massively hurt the reputation of the government. Some media outlets exaggerate these issues to push the government into hot waters. However, all the media outlets have not been involved in spreading propaganda against the government. There are some news channels including Samaa News and 24 News HD that have earned a great reputation due to impartial and accurate reporting.

 

 

In a nutshell, rampant corruption, economic stagnation, and unbridled inflation have been the three major issues of Pakistan for decades. As these issues have been grabbing headlines since day one Pak news today is quite similar to that of the previous century. Every government has drawn public ire due to its inability to control the aforementioned issues. One hopes in the coming years, Pakistan is able to overcome these challenges and emerge as a stable and developed polity on the globe of the world.