Bismillah Hirr Rahman Nirraheem

“The advancement and diffusion of knowledge is the only guardian of true liberty.” ― James Madison

Respected president and my dear audience, Assalamo Alykum!

The topic under debate today is that "Media Misleads Masses." and as media, which is the advancement and diffusion of knowledge is the only guardian of true liberty. When harnessed by the righteous minds, it provides truth and nothing but the truth for our minds to ponder upon.

In the world of today, many have taken the responsibility to do good for their society, and in doing so have used media as a source of communication. Programs like Sar-e-Aam on ARY-TV channel expose different crimes and criminals that have been overlooked since a very long time. A few examples are the re-selling of disposable medical syringes for recycling; fake Aalims and Mediums; common sale of shoes mad e of pig leather, forbidden to Muslims etc. After attaining a full report of the crime, it is forwarded to the Police department so that they may take appropriate action against it.

Several animated videos have also been serving the purpose of creating awareness not only about basic human rights, but about issues like child abuse and safety precautions after a rainy weather too.

Mr. President, in what way are these programs misleading? How and to whom?

No, Mr. President, they are not misleading! Instead they are enlightening the minds of common people. Educating them for a better life standard. Promoting ethics and morals!

Given the right amount of freedom, media can do wonders. A great example of this is our Pakistani media, who does not back down from revealing the darkest secrets of all celebrities, be him a politician, or an artist.

Mr. President, I ask you, was it not the media which exposed the culprits behind the hajj scandal? Is it not the media who has also exposed the name of each person along with their official ranks, who are involved in deteriorating standard of PIA?

Even though, internet which has made this world a global village exposed another aspect of Dr. Amir Liaqat through a compiled video of extra shots, some people still choose to believe in his former character. Mr. President, had media been misleading masses, then all the people who saw that video would have merely believed Mr. Amir, to be a culprit. However this is not the case. Media put forward both sides of him, the good n the bad and then left it for the public to form an opinion. This is the role of free media.

Media has been helping us in our daily lives in various forms, from the basic news broadcasted through the radio regarding the blockage of such and such road due to rain or traffic; to informing our ladies about the best time to shop by advertising about discount offers and sales at different stores. Not only does it inform the general public of place and time of funeral prayers of a loved one so that their mourners are able to pay their respects in due time, but it also keeps us well in touch with either the celebration or God forbid lamentation following a sports event such as a Cricket match.

Mr. President media does not mislead masses, instead, it provides an opportunity for people to unite against evil.

Mr. President, was it not the media through which Mr. Ansar Barni appealed to the public to aid those navy officers held hostage by the Somalian pirates? The people of Pakistan were approached by the repeated appeals from Lailah Wasi and Mr. Barni through a morning show again on ARY-tv and the public responded by donating huge amounts of money. Eventually through the efforts of Mr. Ishratul Ibad,

Governor of Sindh, not only Pakistani, but Egyptian, Sri Lankan AND Indian navy officials were freed and welcomed as heroes at Jinnah Terminal, Karachi. The people of these countries and the officials themselves were beyond grateful to the people of Pakistan. Such is the power of media!

Media has also been blamed for promoting violence and aggression; for desensitizing the people to crime and brutality. But this is what is happening around us. Innocent people are dying every minute. How can media turn a blind eye to mass murdering Al-Ghaza, to drone attacks in northern Waziristan, to revolutionary killing which started from Egypt, carried on to Tunisia, Bahrain and to what is currently happening in Syria? It is the corporate social responsibility of media to tell the whole world about them.

If any person does not wish for their children to be affected by them, then they themselves responsible to exercise parental control over the content viewed by their children.

To sum up the advantages of media in today’s world, media channels allow the free flow of information and services around the world giving a broader perspective of the world and bringing people together. It is hard to imagine the world today without the high degree of connectivity and flow of knowledge available through various media channels.

All the luxuries and necessities in life have been made available by Allah to the humankind. And it is up to us being the greatest of all creations to decide how to utilize these amenities, whether with the intention of enlightening the public with the truth so they may form their own judgments or with the evil intention of misleading masses. It is not media that misleads but man himself who abuses this great asset to mislead masses.

Thank you!