Essay’s Data

I desperately need some feedback on my writing. I have posted my writing on several

forums but to no avail - Nobody bothers replying.

This is NOT the full essay. But I think it is enough to judge and give a constructive criticism
for my writing. Please do give suggestions.

Truth is a rare commodity despite the freedom by the print and electronic media

"Fours legs good; two legs bad" This was the mindless slogan of the sheeps in George
Orwell's Animal Farm - A book about animals yet reminiscent of humans. The author's intent
was to critize England's censorship and to critize Russia - The nation symbolizing pigs in the
novel. Ironically, the preface of this novel, which had the author's note on censorship, was
also censored. Truth, that the author wanted to impart to the unbeknownst common men,
was removed. This, and a few incidents written below, tell us that we are missing out on
truth - The rarest of comodity.

Information is power. It only takes two words to access an online bank account. But this is a
trivial matter when compared with the hidden truth that protects and keeps the system
running for the status quo.

Media has long lost its objectivity. If any treacherous article is published, the journalist is
murdered. Countries censor books and media so as to not appear threatening to any nation
- The censorship in Britain of the books and media writing against USSR is no secret. Today
media is run like a business. And a business can only run, if it can sell. What sells, is
conformity to the opinion of commonman. One is rather inclined to read the news from a
newspaper which corresponds to his/her opinions. Opinions by nature are errant, biased and
influenced by emotions. Why is it then that people prefer a particular newspaperpaper
more, when they have no obligation to the publisher and have viable alternative
newspapers? Television programs sell only when the host can fire up a heated conversation
between politicians and bring up the hyperbole of commonman. How often do we hear
about "Our corrupt government", or how deprave a particular politician is, or even a
journalist making such claims, without any sound proof. All just to satiate our hunger for
entertainment. It is my contention that most, if not all, cannot conjure substantial evidence
to back their point. Yet mindlessly, they say "Our government is corrupt" - strikingly similar
to Orwell's sheeps "Fours legs good; two legs bad"

Jullian Asange's effort, to reveal the truth is commendable - His brainchild Wikileaks, has
published shocking videos, and horrifying truths about the dirty business of politics and war.
In March 2010, Wikileaks published documents that jeopardized the integrity of politics
around the world, particularly that of US and its army. The day the leaks started coming
out, news channels, blogs, newspapers, news sites all were abuzz - except New york Times
website. There wasn't a media outlet in the world without this news and here the paragon of
media, NY times, didn't have this news anywhere on their website. An ardent reader of this
site might have different opinion than you and me.

Following is a critical analysis of your writing:

"Truth is a rare commodity despite the freedom by the print and electronic media":
The title subjected to a critical essay on fictitious and delusive role of media despite the
freedom of telling truth. Your essay isn't pointing towards that. The material is very little,
ideas are few, we may call it an expansion not an essay.
Your essay has following major flaws:

 Lacking understanding of topic

 Lacking focus
 Lacking flow
 Lacking Coherence
 Lacking Conclusiveness

To avoid these flaws, you should brainstorm, research the topic, draw an outline first and
then go for a full fledged essay. Your English is good and you can write a good essay. Keep
practicing and one day you will be perfect. Best of luck.
__________________
“There is no God but You (Allah Almighty), You are far exalted and above all weaknesses,
and I was indeed the wrongdoer”. AL-QURAN

in order to drive you an amble idea of how a topic is well treated in essay paper let
me present a simple outline on the mentioned topic.... hope this is gonna widen
the scope of your essay understanding and might help you write more coherently
the next time...

Here it goes...........

Truth is a rare commodity despite the freedom by print and electronic media

Introduction.
The people have right to know what their administration is doing for them and what
activities occur all around in their state. Realization of this right led to the freedom of
media. Media was freed from official regulations on this doctrine but despite the maximum
freedom granted, media falls short of discharging on its fundamental purpose of presenting
the truthful news , reports and stories.
body
IRRESPONSIBLE BEHAVIOUR BY MEDIA AFFECTING ITS TRUE PERFORMANCE.
1. Race for commercial ends and not for national service.
a. Mushrooming of Pvt. Newspapers and T.v news channels has set into motion a
commercial competition among them
b. Exaggerated reporting on the unnecessary issues for the extravagant publicity.
c. Reporters at local as well as national level sale their loyalities to the corrupt officials and
guilty people for not revealing the truth of their crimes or for exaggerating their duty
performance to state.
d. Discredit the innocent and the honest public servants if they refuse offering such
reporters their illegal dues.
2. Partial attitude.
a. Only focus on the excessive criticism of the government and falsifying the truth of its
successful services to the people.
b. Presenting the ministers and even the head of state in forms of cartoons and telecasting
comic shows in order to insinuate them.
c. Govt is discouraged by this partial and irresponsible attitude of media and its
performance is thus influenced. (in order to avoid such criticism govt restructures its
otherwise viable policies)
3. Vague attempts for gaining popularity regardless of their serious spillover.
a. Organizing wrestling table talks among state politicians exacerbating already pervasive
fraction among political parties.
b. National issues worthy of intensive attention are sidelined while the spectacular political
tussles gain prime notice of media
c. Irrelevant political unrest emerges that obstructs state in delivery for national
development and progress.
4. free hand coverage of certain incidents and state policies helps anti state actors in
formulating catastrophic designs.
>Due to unbridled media coverage of even trivial issues Enemy gets an idea of interior weak
points and attempts exploiting them for rather big crisis at national level.

5. Leakage of sensitive state affairs and spots throwing states in new diplomatic wars while
creating trust deficit among them.
a. Wikileaks , Not fully true cables.
b. Refusal of accused people to wikileaks.
c. Widening of misgivings among the countries in the wake of these leaks.
6. poor reporting of the one channel disclosed by the other
contemporary tussle between GEO TV and CABLE OPERATORS.

Conclusion

Media retains an extremely vibrant potential to influence the state affairs. Its responsible
execution may bring to the state an era of good governance, justice, transparency and thus
over all prosperity. At the same time its irresponsible work projects the state in
complications there by impeding its ways to successful functioning.

TRUTH IS A RARE COMMODITY DESPITE THE FREEDOM ENJOYED BY MEDIA

1) Introduction
2) Conceptualizing the term “Freedom of Media”
3) Why truth is still a rare commodity?
a. Interests Groups within Media houses
b. Rating Competition
c. Irresponsible Journalism
d. Failure to keep balance between Information and Entertainment
e. Ineffective role of media regulatory authorities
4) Consequences of irresponsible behavior
a. Division of media houses on basis of political affinities
b. Lack of constructive criticism
c. Negative effect on foreign relations
d. Threat to dignity of national institutions
5) Suggestions
6) Conclusion

Media is considered as the fourth pillar of the state. For the smooth functioning of the
business of democracy and awareness of the masses of the society the role of free and fair
media is undeniable. A media free from any political interference or biasness is one of the
basic prerequisites for the democracy to flourish in its true sense. But, as always,
freedom comes with some evils, same is the case with the freedom enjoyed by
media. Media has gained an immense freedom but at the cost of credibility. The
emergence of numerous private media groups have posed a tremendous challenge
to the credibility of the information in this age of uncertainty. Competition
between media groups have made them unaware of their basic responsibility of
providing real and authentic information to the public. Interests groups within
media houses have become mere puppets in the hands of political elite to advance
their political agendas. The dominance of non-professionals, and political and
subjective approach in the coverage of different issues has marred the spirit of
impartial journalism. The result is that public opinion is far more confused and divided on
critical national issues than ever before. Lack of constructive criticism has eroded the trust
of masses on the government. Foreign relation and the reputation of state institutions are at
the stake due to the irresponsibility and partiality of media houses. The present situation
direly needs an attention of the incumbent government to regulate media activities.

Truth is a rare commodity despite the freedom enjoyed by it in the print and Electron

Every morning at the break of dawn, paperboys around the globe set off to deliver
newspapers all over the city blocks. Middle-class men wake up in the robes and sit at their
dining tables for a Nice cup of coffee, some breakfast, and the days paper. The average low
income wage earner picks up the same at a local cafe for a glance at any new opportunities
that might have come his way while, top executives short of precious time, get regaled by
their secretaries as they speed down the office hallways in their suits. Outside on the streets
and inside homes, The television screens continuously blare noise disguised as news - ad
nauseam, while, in the palm of their hands, people seem to be staring into their mobile
phones completely unaware of their surroundings. If an outsider, say, a person from the 5th
century were to visit the world of today, he might conclude, based upon his observations,
that this is a world where truth has finally broken the temporal and geographical shackles it
found itself in during his times. Yet despite such a miasma of information flooding our daily
lives, truth still remains a rare commodity.

This flood of information which we find ourselves today in, indeed seems overwhelming
when compared to any other time in the past. A myriad of modern inventions such as
Facebook, WhatsApp and Viber etc. have made access to information much faster and a lot
more cheaper than it ever used to be. Compared with prehistoric times, when cave
drawings and fireplace stories were the medium of information exchange, or when expert
runners of later ages were employed to deliver news between city states, or the hand-
written books which only the kings could afford until the arrival of the printing press, the
modern world of information exchange, which started with the advent of the Telegraph and
Telephone and which led the western world to victories and development is distinct in that it
finally allowed mankind to overcome the barriers of time and distance. Information can flow
all over the globe as easily as it can within a small house. The world has essentially become
a global village in its truest sense.

Yet like all villages, hearsay, rumours and misinformation flow all over the globe as easily as
any genuine piece of news can. Unlike olden times, when one could put some thought to
what he heard before believing and passing on the word, the speed with which news
spreads around the world today gives little time for any deliberation. As such, it becomes
increasingly difficult to identify the line which demarcates truth from falsehood. Thus, rather
than enlightening the masses with true knowledge and information, the modern media has
in fact stifled truth by covering it up in a fog of half truths and whole lies. In these
circumstances, one is faced with the question, “what then, is the truth and how do we get to
it?”

In this regard, the ancient Chinese philosopher, Confucius once quipped, "there are only
three truths: your truth, my truth, and the truth." Confucius understood that truth can have
its versions and biases. This fact led the philosophers to develop an epistemological tool
whereby they could separate truth from the chaff of untruths. The ensuing development of
the scientific method thus led mankind through the scientific revolution and the world we
witness today. The basis of our knowledge is observable, quantifiable and independently
testable evidence. Academic discussions and critiques allow us to get a better understanding
of our world. Yet despite such developments, the utopian dream of men is far from
becoming a reality. In fact, rather than clearing up the muddle of falsehoods with this tool,
modern media has pushed it further into the abyss. One rarely finds in television and
newspapers, an unbiased presentation of facts. Rather, opinions are engineered through
deliberately constructed narratives. Scientific and critical thinking fails to find its way.
Dogma and propaganda prevail.

Speaking of propaganda, one cannot help but mention Joseph Goebbels, the father of this
tool of Nazi war machine. Goebbels mastered the art of spreading falsehoods through the
masses in order to keep them in line according to the state's will. He summarised his
thoughts aptly when he remarked, "if you repeat a lie often enough, it becomes the truth."
This quote has remained the mantra of all the big powers in control of media, long since
Goebbels died.

Governments create narratives in order to rouse support of the masses for their policies and
to keep them in control. It has been frequently observed that governments employ tactics
such as using the threat of foreign aggression in order to distract them from contentious
issues. The print and electronic media follows suit and presents the lies as facts, thus taking
the people away from truths rather than towards it. For example, the US invasion of
Afghanistan and Iraq was preceded by a meticulously conducted exercise of narrative
building which provided the government the excuse of going after the "terrorists" and the
"Weapons of mass destruction" respectively.

A similar case can be made against religious authorities. It's very common nowadays to find
'televangelists' dressed in exquisite designer-suits, dabbed with makeup and beards
carefully trimmed, preaching austerity and simplicity to their viewers, much to their irony!
As it usually is the case with religious authorities, their authority is beyond questioning.
Billions of people dogmatically follow the musings of these preachers' minds. In some parts
of the world, expressing doubt or criticism at these authorities or their ideas can be a mortal
peril. The assassination of the former Governor of Punjab is a recent example of this
phenomenon.

Besides religious preachers, the multinational corporations also like to exercise control over
the masses by utilising print and electronic media to spread their lies, mostly through
multimillion advertising campaigns. In the capitalistic world of today, one cannot survive
without blowing one's trumpet to attract potential buyers. Often the ads we see about new
products in the market, masquerading as the cure-all for our everyday problems end up
creating more problems than they solve. Products in the market are often presented with
more than they promise. One can understand this easily with the example of, say, a burger
which looks scrumptious and satisfyingly huge in the tv or the newspaper ad of a fast food
company, but is a huge disappointment when bought from the shelf. It is thus, not wrong to
say that lying on media can be good for selling products and making profits.

However, the aforementioned arguments like a two-edged sword, cut both ways. A thing
can only be sold if there exist potential buyers for it. It would thus, not be wrong to say
that, more than the modern media being responsible for this heap of lies we find ourselves
in, it is the people who are really to be blamed. Lies and half-truths have a huge market in
today's world. They are more comforting than inconvenient truths. For example, in the
bookstores all over the world, the number one best sellers are usually romance novels and
fantasy books. The genres least read by people, on the other hand, are books and reports
which detail the harrowing tales and facts of the forgotten corners of the real world. This is
because people don't like to step outside their comfort zones. Truth can be quite
discomforting.

On the contrary, it can be argued that our age is in its nascent days and that we are going
through a transformation whereby we are slowly and gradually maturing into critical
thinkers. As globalisation takes the world in its fold, and as we become more and more
interconnected, our abilities to share and evaluate thinking patterns lead us to become
better and better thinkers. A great role in this has been played by the social media. Political
parties, religious authorities and corporations are becoming increasingly more careful about
their behaviour in order to maintain a good image in the cyber world. Governmental
departments have created their social profiles online where they keep the masses updated
about their works, ideas stand to debate in online forums without fear of the bludgeon of
the totalitarian state. Religious leaders think twice before giving out ridiculous remarks, and
often get severely rebuked when they do. Multinational corporations lose billions in a day if
a scandal is unearthed. The balance seems to be tilting towards the better.

To conclude, the search for truth in ideas and words has continued since man found the
ability to communicate. Its battle with untruths has been such that the latter has found
support in the temporal and geographical barriers as well as the people's addiction for it,
while the latter has slowly been gaining the upper hand through the deliberate and
unending efforts of great men and women. Until truth finally prevails, we can expect to find
it in the print and electronic media, a rare commodity.

In a world of ruled by lies, truth is a rare commodity. Truth is not something one
could buy, and in the modern world it may just cost you your life just to tell the
truth.
We live in a world where if one is telling the truth he/ she will be considered
guilty while the one who is lying continuously about it all will be given more
importance as the media tries its best to scoop out gossip that can help them
boost their ratings, they don’t really care if the news is fake or real as long as it
can bring about income to fill their bellies they don’t hesitate spreading lies at
all.
Our Holy Prophet Hazrat Muhammad ‫ ﷺ‬said: ‘Speak truth even in the harshest
circumstances of oppression’

Influence of Media:
Truth may be hard to tell since people consider the truth as boring, people live
for exciting news, something they could talk about for long hours, and listening
to the truth would be no fun for them.
Media does not care about how many people get hurt in this spreading of lies,
they just want to be the popular ones so in order to achieve that purpose they go
to the measure where they brag so much exaggerate the truth that it becomes a
lie.

For instance, if one says something on the social media, the media will fabricate
his / her words and display it in such a manner that his/her words will lose value
and just might start indicating something else. But the worst part is how people
react to these lies, media has such a strong hold over us that people consider
what the media displays to be true, ignoring the truth and the actual back story
of the case.
We don’t even know that the news we hear on social Medias or read in
newspapers is even true or not.
It is rightly said that:

‘A LIE DOESN’T BECOME TRUTH. WRONG DOESN’T BECOME RIGHT

AND EVIL DOESN’T BECOME GOOD JUST BECAUSE IT IS ACCEPTED BY
A MAJORITY’

Rumours spread like wild fire:

The sources of social media in the developing world such as Facebook,
WhatsApp, twitter etc. have made access to information much cheaper and
comparatively faster. Information can now be passed all over the world as easily
as it can in a small house. No doubt the world has become a global village.
In olden times people used to put some thought in what they had heard and
before they passed on any information they made sure that it was true, but in the
modern world people without even knowing the whole information pass it on
and share it with others. The information than does not end up in its purest form,
it than contains all the dirt material of the people who have been passing on the
information.
People are always ready to pass their judgements, even if it’s not needed. ‘Lie is
the new Truth' should be the next season of “Orange is the new Black”.

Print and electronic media need to achieve high ratings due to which they go to
an extent where they change the given information in a way that people get
engrossed in. which includes half-truths and whole lies.

What has caused all this?

Threats given to print and electronic media may also be the main cause that they
fabricate the original information given to them.
Even though the landscape of media has become broad there is still deficiency
of experienced and trained journalists.

Measures that should be taken:

The truth should not be distorted by the media, it should be reported the way it
has been handed over. The government and civil society should provide a threat
free environment to the media so they can perform their work without any
hindrance.
Before coverage media should give thought to it that the information that they
have received is true or not before making big headlines.
The print media rather than putting fake idols on the front page of the
newspaper should try to put the facts and show the true face no matter how
bitter it may seem.
Hunter S. Thompson, A famous American Journalist once said:

“If I’d written all the truth I knew for the past 10 years, about 600 people –
including me – would be rotting in prison cells from Rio to Seattle today.
Absolute truth is a very rare and dangerous commodity in the context of
professional journalism.”