Originally Posted by Qurban Ali Qureshi

5. Critically analyze the watchdog and lapdog role of public and private TV channels in Pakistan.

outline:
-Watchdog
-Watchdog journalism
-Watchdog role of public and private channel in Pakistan
-lapdog
-lapdog Journalism
-lapdog role of public and private channel in Pakistan
-conclusion

Watchdog:
Watchdog is a person or group of people who act as protector or guardian against the illegal and inefficient activities.



Watchdog journalism:
Watchdog journalism means to investigate or to keep an eye on the social, political and economical conditions. Media keep watch on the government and people in power. it speaks out to alert and warn the audience if something happens that should not. Watch dog journalism is located in all the media like .T.V, radio, newspapers, magazines and internet etc. It provides the supply of crucial information that public must have "in order to prevent the abuse of power".It brings forth those people who exploit the power. it sustains the order against disorder.It is opposite to propagandists who are loyal to the ruling power and elites. In order to perform the prominent role by the journalists, journalists must need to have distances from the power.

Watchdog role of public and private channel in Pakistan:
Private channel of Pakistan seem to be efficient and satisfactory in their role of watchdog. They come up with the day to day news of political,social and economic wings. Competition is found among these private channels. Every private channel makes efforts to prove that it is best acting body of watchdog.
The watchdog role of private channels like Geo, A.R.Y ,Express news, Dunya .T.V etc. in election 2013 of Pakistan can not be ignored. They provided the full coverage of the election whole the day. They highlighted the ragging issues during the election. They provided the footage of the ragging in different regions of the country. For example
1- In NA-251 (Karachi) unknown mafia tired to ceased the election. Meanwhile in various region of the country election team could not start the election in the right time. Footage were shown clearly to the people . in the result ECP announced to increase two more hours in the net time of election.
2- A man wearing black clothes was explicitly ragging in the NA-250 (
Karachi). Even after being caught ,police let him go easily.
3-Many women were doing explicitly ragging in NA-219 (Hyderabad).
These were the few examples of the watchdog role of private channels. But various footage were came forth by these channels to the public. These footage of ragging by these channels portrayed the inefficient and unsatisfactory management of election by the ECP.
Furthermore the Sikander Hayyat scandal whereby a man accompanied with his wife and two children driven out into middle of the Constitution Avenue of Islamabad .He fired out at the police .Police could not control this man even having passage of the more than five hours. A Brave man named Zamard Khan ended the sense. Private channels showed the complete sense. Hence the watchdog role of these private channels presented the failure of the current government security policy.
In addition private channels organize the various talk shows where the bold and skilled personality of anchors raise the voice. They criticize in favor or against the numerous issues and events of government, political and social.
Here are some of them.
(i) "Khara such" by A.R.G News
(ii) "Faisla Awam Ka" by Geo News
(iii) "Kal Tak" by Express news
(iv) "Capital Talk" by Geo News
(v) "News Hours" by Sama News

Lapdog :
Lapdog is the person or group of people who are easily controlled by the others.
Lapdog Journalism:
Lapdog Journalism means bodies of the journalists keep away the vital secrets from the public. They do not show them to the public. They do not criticize on the illegal political, social, government events, activities and scandals because of the close relation with the ruling power and officials.

Lapdog function of the private channels of Pakistan:
Almost all Pakistani private channels seem to be manipulated by the some power groups in some extent. They are working on the agenda of US, British and India. Almost all the anchors are paid due to their lapdog role by the politician, businessman. Malik Riaz the chairman of Baharia Town Lahore has bribed the many Media anchors to hide the corruption from the people of Pakistan and to give the negative impression of the chief justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Choudhary. Why media didn’t expose this person? It is because these media are paid by the power groups. A leaked footage of show on “Dunya News” in which Mubashir Luqman and Mehar Bukhari conducted planted the interview with Malik Riaz. In this show in the commercial break talk about with the Malik Riaz to be asked the planted questions. Mubashir Luqman said to Malik Riaz,”give me Villa as you gave to the Hamid Mir”. This show portrayed the dual face of the anchors how Hamid Mir and Mubashir Luqman are making fool to the audience. Anchor sold them to businessmen, politicians and religious groups. No one is clear. Public watch them and think out they are doing this for them.
Meanwhile All Pakistan newspapers society and council of Pakistan newspapers editors have never opposed the policies of paying the expenses of the journalists accompanying officials on national and international tours .journalist are enjoying the benefits of the close association with the officials.
Last year about 21 journalists were exposed in allegation of receiving handsome bribe from Ex-Prime Minister Gillani.


Conclusion:
The Pakistani private channels are just the source of business for their owners whose aims are to earn profit in handsome amount. They act as watchdog in the race of competition with other channels by proving that they are serving the nation in the optimum way. They act as lapdog for sake of maximum profit by distorting their duties and accountabilities. These channels aims are not to serve the nation but to serve the owners.