THIS is apropos the editorial ‘Indian media scandal’ (Jan 21) which has pointed out that “it is best if the fourth estate and the government maintain a healthy distance, because when members of the media get too close to the corridors of power, independent journalism suffers and the narrative of those in government can trump the truth”. The contention is correct.

It is, however, not the Indian journalists alone who pose to know the secrets of the government and create an impression that they are not only brilliant journalists but also very close to a particular government.

It is hard, almost preposterous, to imagine that Arnab Goswami, the Indian anchor in the eye of the storm, was sitting alongside the premier and the army chief when an attack was being planned on Pakistan in a military operation room. Or, once the plan finalised, any of the high-ranking individuals would have shared such critical information with the anchor. Why would they do that?

It is sheer nonsense to make such assumptions. It was nothing more than guess work on the part of the anchor before the Balakot misadventure. The scandal gained further traction after certain text messages between the anchor and the head of an under-investigation ratings company.

Purportedly, Goswami is supposed to have told the official that something bigger than normal against Pakistan was in the offing. What did he actually mean by ‘something bigger’? The conjectures being made are childish and rubbish. Journalists like Goswami should not be taken seriously at all. He was, and is, a sworn enemy of Pakistan, and he could, and often did, go to any extent when it came to concocting stories out of thin air. It just so happened that his hunch once came true. That is it.

Recently, a known journalist on one Pakistani TV channel predicted that the government would be toppled soon as the conspiracy for such a dastardly act had already been hatched in the capital of a most influential Western country. What is the difference between Goswami and this sage?

There is no dearth of journalists predicting every day that there will be a political upheaval in Pakistani politics and that everything will soon crumble like a house of cards. How are they any different from Goswami. Basically, they say what they want to happen and it does not for a moment indicate that they know something concrete about what they are saying.

When it comes to matters of military operations, specially, it is beyond the capability of a Pakistani or an Indian journalist to even have a remote chance to eavesdrop the plan. No way.

Back in April 1979, renowned BBC reporter Mark Tully is said to have slept on a culvert outside the prison in Rawalpindi to be able to report first-hand the hanging of a politician. But it was Radio Pakistan which broke the news first because the secret was well-kept and was announced at a time that suited the military regime.

Let us finish with a quote from President Joe Biden who spelt out the imperatives of the fourth estate: “Defend the truth and defeat the lies.” If this maxim is adhered to in letter and in spirit in Pakistan and elsewhere in the world, the fourth estate will only elevate its stature.

Safir Siddiqui
Karachi

Published in Dawn, February 4th, 2021