Media Monitoring Findings’ Report 1 Summary Society for Alternative Media and Research (SAMAR), initiated a media monitoring project with the support of Open Society Foundation (OSF) keeping in view the cross-ownership and control of media by different actors which are restricting the necessary and desirable participatory opportunities to the citizens in order to strengthen democratic process in Pakistan. A monitoring and analysis system was established and daily monitoring of news and views contents of eight private TV news channels and eight newspapers (three English, three Urdu and two Sindhi language newspapers) was done by trained monitors. The monitoring and analysis process was supervised time to time by Independent Citizens’ Media Commission comprising of 11 media experts, academia and civil society leaders. So far, the trends/findings of monitoring of both print and electronic mainstream media are: 1. Almost same pattern and sequel for broadcasting news and same format and topic for talk shows on all TV news channels to discuss current affairs was found. Viewers watch and listen to, more or less, same persons at every channel who are presented as experts of all aspects of life. 2. Out of proportion coverage of political affairs largely consisting of differences among political parties, opposing statements of political leaders and allegation and counter- allegation of corruption, image building of military establishment and promoting its point of view on national security, and fanning hatred against neighboring countries and promoting jingoism. 3. Largely, focused on big cities particularly Karachi and Lahore whereas people and issues of mainland or rural Pakistan are hardly made topic of the news and discussion. Peshawar and Quetta are reported when they came under terrorist attacks. Political and socio- economic conditions of Balochistan, Fata, Sindh, Gilgit-Baltistan and Seraiki region, wherein human rights, democratic rights and linguistic-cultural rights of the citizens are being grossly violated, are seldom become headlines of mainstream print and electronic media. 4. Violent actions against, and plight of, religious minorities in small cities and towns are generally not reported by media. killing of a Hindu boy in Ghotki (Sindh) forced 2 marriages of Hindu girls and attack on Christian houses in Mandi Bahauddin (Punjab) are latest examples which are ignored by the media. 5. Women, children, students and labor force and issues of unemployment, large scale immigration of Pakistanis to foreign countries, health and education are rarely made topics for discussions. 6. Mainstream Urdu and English language newspapers generally print what is already broadcast by TV news channels in the evening. Columns and editorials printed by newspapers consist of the same opinion and thought which have been discussed in talk shows. Language used by Urdu newspapers is more emotional and jingoistic than English language newspapers. 7. Regional media, due to its ethnic-linguistic nature, tend to cover issues related to a specific ethnic-linguistic group or region, thus focusing upon issues which are mainly ignored by the mainstream media. On the following pages is a sample of monitoring report of a TV news channel, GEO news, which is considered a popular news channel among TV news viewers. 3 GEO NEWS TV Monitoring Report March 2016 – January 2017 4 Table of Contents Introduction……………………………………………………………………………. Methodology……………………………………………………………………………. Overview of Channel (GEO TV)……………………………………………………… General Analysis of Headline News……………………………………………………. General Analysis of Talk Shows………………………………………………………... 1st Quarterly Report …………………………………………………………………..... 2nd Quarterly Report…………………………………………………………………….. 3rd Quarterly Report…………………………………………………………………….. Conclusion………………………………………………………………………………. Annexure………………………………………………………………………………… 5 List of Figures Fig 1. Issues discussed in Report Card during 1st Quarter March-June 2016 Fig 2. Issues discussed in Capital Talk during 1st Quarter March-June 2016 Fig.3. Party wise representation in Capital Talk during 1st Quarter March-June 2016 Fig 4. Issues discussed in Report Card during 2nd Quarter July-October 2016 Fig 4. Issues discussed in Capital Talk during 2nd Quarter July-October 2016 Fig.3. Party wise representation in Capital Talk during 2nd Quarter July-October 2016 Fig 5. Issues discussed in Report Card during 3rd Quarter November 2016-June 2017 Fig 6. Issues discussed in Capital Talk during 3rd Quarter November 2016-June 2017 Fig.3. Party wise representation in Capital Talk during 3rd Quarter November 2016-June 2017 6 List of Annexure Annexure A: List of Program (Report Card) Sorted Issue wise in 1st Quarter (March-June 2106) Annexure B: List of Program (Report Card) Sorted Issue wise in 2nd Quarter (July - October 2106) Annexure C: List of Program (Report Card) Sorted Issue wise in 3rd Quarter (Nov 2016 – Jan 2107) Annexure D: List of Programs (Capital Talk) sorted by Guests participated 1st Quarter (Mar –June 2016 Annexure E: List of Programs (Capital Talk) sorted by Guests participated 2nd Quarter (July –Oct 2016) Annexure F:List of Programs (Capital Talk) sorted by Guests participated 3rd Quarter (Nov2016–Jan 2017 7 1. Introduction A free and independent media is very important for democracy, accountability and diversity. Efforts must be done to expand and protect press freedoms, true information, and increase public access to information. In Pakistan, electronic media starts in 2001 and GEO TV, ARY TV and AAJ TV are among the pioneers of Private media. During the later years mushroom growth of news channel in Pakistan required an authority to allow, monitor and banned any channel if violates the rules and regulations set by the authority. In this regard Pakistan Electronic Media Regularity Authority PEMRA, established in under PEMRA Ordinance 2002. Independent Media Corporations have become so power full and influential that PEMRA checks on TV channels are not accordingly as channels violates the rules and regulations and play with people beyond the rules, regulations and ethics. it is now people’s own responsibility to be aware about of all those information and it socio-political and even psychological impacts on the people. At initial step it is necessary to educate and strengthen civil society for democratic, independent and free media. It will be definitely a start towards free, independent and responsible media in Pakistan. Open Society Foundation working for Democratic, free and independent media approved the proposed one year project to Society for Alternative Media and Research. SAMAR, Media Program is working for a free, independent, and responsible media in Pakistan since 2012. The Media Program has also supported research studies on the ethical dimensions of media content in Pakistan, and promotes ethics and transparency, particularly in regards to conflict reporting. Under this project media monitor and analysis is done by using defined methodology and under some specific indicators. 2. Methodology To monitor the electronic media methodology was opted to address the following three question; when will be monitor? What will be monitor? And how will be monitor? News Channel broadcast 24 hours news and talk shows live and recorded. Due to some constraints it was not possible to monitor news channel 24 hours so only prime time (6:00pm to 10:00pm) was selected to monitor. The selection of these timings was obviously due to the reasons that mostly viewers watch TV during these timing and programs and news telecast live. Prime time considered very 8 expensive time (Seconds) in term of Commercial Ads for the companies. During prime time News Headlines and (02) Talk Shows were selected for the monitoring. Again due to some constraints all news bulletins with details and all five talk shows monitoring was not possible, so during the years March 2016- January 2017, total (87) programs of Capital Talk and (109) programs of Report Card and News Headlines 6:00pm and 9:00pm were monitored. For the comparative analysis and to look at the changing trends in media a years was divided into 1st, 2nd, and 3rd quarter respectively four, three and four months. Trends were measured by counting categorizing daily news items mainly Issue wise, geographic focus and with respect to political party representation. Three main trends were observed during monitoring that what news are over covered and what news items are under covered . It was observed that some very important issues are not covered on TV channel during the project time frame. Moreover, body language, world selection and sentence structure. Channel was monitored according to PEMRA rules and regulations and also noted the violations. Monitoring was done by watching and listing TV channel. The data was collected in three forms. Firstly, in the form of recorded files than at the second level data was organized in written form on a designed Performa with statistical information for tabulation and graphical presentation data was also collected in numbering and percentages. 3. Over view of Channel (GEO TV) GEO television network is main stream Media Corporation, working since 2002 in Pakistan. Among the pioneers of private media cooperation in Pakistan GEO TV is the most popular news and current affaire channel in Pakistan. During fifteen years Jang Group becomes the power full group in Pakistani media and now it has five channels GEO NEWS, GEO Entertainment, GEO Kahani, GEO Sports and GEO Taaz. GEO NEWS is 24 hours news & current