'Shoania' TV coverage like tabloid journalism by dregs of profession: Pak Editorial

Islamabad, Apr.10 (ANI): The way in which the Pakistani media, especially the electronic medium, has handled the controversy surrounding the wedding of cricketer Shoaib Malik and Indian tennis sensation Sania Mirza, has raised questions over the priorities of news channels in the country, where people are even struggling to meet their daily needs.

In the race for television rating points (TRP), journalistic ethics have been forcibly shelved to make way for money-making business.

"In the race for ratings, media ethics, contextual significance and perhaps even common sense were thrown out the window. What we saw on our screens was tabloid journalism of the sort usually purveyed by the dregs of the profession," an editorial in The Dawn said.

Pakistan has been rattled by terrorism and there are numerous socio-economic and political issues facing the country, and in these turbulent times news about the controversy surrounding a celebrity couple's marriage is least expected to dominate the news headlines, it opined.

"News involves information, not sordid entertainment, and the line differentiating the two must be redrawn if the industry is to retain its integrity. It is not a news network's job to titillate its audience or provide the kind of catharsis offered by film or channels dedicated to entertainment," the editorial said.

"Yes, the Shoaib-Sania story is news, especially in the context of the strained relations between Pakistan and India. By no stretch of the imagination, it is headline news in a country that is struggling to make ends meet," it added. (ANI)