Being a strong supporter of freedom of the media I believe that every television channel and all the hosts have the right to say whatever they wish as long as it is within accepted societal norms of decency. When TV hosts and guests accuse politicians of corruption they are unfortunately often correct. Since very few politicians in Pakistan are known for financial probity, therefore almost every politician can be called corrupt. But the same is true of most politicians in the world Eventually, Pakistani media will evolve. At present there are no people in the electronic media that have established expertise in the political, judicial, economic or social spheres. For instance there is nobody on TV that can talk of environmental or health issues with any level of expertise. There is nobody that covers the superior courts regularly or for that matter has any demonstrated expertise in economic matters The media serves many important functions. It acts as a watchdog that keeps government honest, it informs the public about what is going on and it educates viewers about issues. As far as politics and politicians are concerned, they are often interesting and easy to talk about but without any meaningful polling data it is virtually impossible to discuss public perception of any government or political party What is badly needed is some serious discussion about the problems that confront Pakistan today Healthcare, environmental issues, unemployment, the bad state of education, the ever present financial crisis, the energy crisis and so many other things. But even when some of these issues are discussed, the discussion predictably deteriorates into a shouting match between people with competing points of views with accusations of corruption flying around. And it seems that a significant section of the media is obsessed with President Zardari. Indeed the US media is also obsessed with president obama but the tv discussions are not about the man but rather about his policies concerning the war in Afghanistan, the economic stimulus package, the healthcare initiative, job creation and other policy initiatives that he is pushing forward On Pakistani TV, most discussions about President Zardari revolve around his past, his personal weaknesses and the expected date of his departure. Rarely, if ever, have I heard any body discuss policy matters that he might have been involved in and what effect have they had on our present state of affairs Democracy is a messy business and politicians, like the rest of us, are neither angels nor superi human beings capable of getting things done that are impossible to accomplish even in the best of times. Things that have gone wrong over the last 60 years cannot be put right in a couple of years Pakistan is surviving and perhaps things will get better, but it will take time and effort on the part of all of us. All of us means not just the politicians, the judiciary, the army, the bureaucracy or the media but also we the people For the first time in our history a democratic system is in place that does not seem to be under perpetual threat from the army. So, let us give it a chance and see where it takesBeing a strong supporter of freedom of the media I believe that every television channel and all the hosts have the right to say whatever they wish as long as it is within accepted societal norms of decency. When TV hosts and guests accuse politicians of corruption they are unfortunately often correct. Since very few politicians in Pakistan are known for financial probity, therefore almost every politician can be called corrupt. But the same is true of most politicians in the world. Eventually, Pakistani media will evolve. At present there are no people in the electronic media that have established expertise in the political, judicial, economic or social spheres. For instance there is nobody on TV that can talk of environmental or health issues with any level of expertise. There is nobody that covers the superior courts regularly or for that matter has any demonstrated expertise in economic matters. The media serves many important functions. It acts as a watchdog that keeps government honest, it informs the public about what is going on and it educates viewers about issues. As far as politics and politicians are concerned, they are often interesting and easy to talk about but without any meaningful polling data it is virtually impossible to discuss public perception of any government or political party. What is badly needed is some serious discussion about the problems that confront Pakistan today. Healthcare, environmental issues, unemployment, the bad state of education, the ever present financial crisis, the energy crisis and so many other things. But even when some of these issues are discussed, the discussion predictably deteriorates into a shouting match between people with competing points of views with accusations of corruption flying around. And it seems that a significant section of the media is obsessed with President Zardari. Indeed the US media is also obsessed with President Obama but the TV discussions are not about the man but rather about his policies concerning the war in Afghanistan, the economic stimulus package, the healthcare initiative, job creation and other policy initiatives that he is pushing forward. On Pakistani TV, most discussions about President Zardari revolve around his past, his personal weaknesses and the expected date of his departure. Rarely, if ever, have I heard anybody discuss policy matters that he might have been involved in and what effect have they had on our present state of affairs. Democracy is a messy business and politicians, like the rest of us, are neither angels nor superior human beings capable of getting things done that are impossible to accomplish even in the best of times. Things that have gone wrong over the last 60 years cannot be put right in a couple of years. Pakistan is surviving and perhaps things will get better, but it will take time and effort on the part of all of us. All of us means not just the politicians, the judiciary, the army, the bureaucracy or the media but also we the people. For the first time in our history a democratic system is in place that does not seem to be under perpetual threat from the army. So, let us give it a chance and see where it takes us