Building bridges through journalism

Pakistan-Afghan relations have been a subject of intense debate for the past seven decades, often marked by political tension and division. Against the backdrop of ongoing tumultuous events, the ties between the two countries have remained politically charged, leaving little room for journalists in both countries to cover anything beyond violence, conflict, and controversy. The past two decades of the “war on terror” have further shaped the professional and psychological conditioning of the Pak-Afghan media, reinforcing a narrative dominated by strife. The subjective interpretation of “loyalty to the country” by various state officials at different times has further strained journalists’ capacity for objective reporting and analysis. It is, therefore, unsurprising that the role of mainstream journalists in strengthening Pakistan-Afghanistan bilateral relations has received little attention in recent years.

Another significant development in the journalism landscape is the space lost by mainstream media to social media. According to research by Reuters Institute at the University of Oxford, people in general and youth in particular are increasingly becoming disinterested in the news media. The major reasons identified for the avoidance of media by the general public are the excessive negativity of news media and the irrelevance of the content. Research also reveals that people with little or basic education are even more cut off from the mainstream media as they find other easy-to-digest alternatives on social media. It is feared that this trend is likely to increase the spread of misinformation.

Globally, many consumers of the news from the general public have complained about the irritating “deluge” of the political news causing them a “headache”. The need for urgent rectification of this deficiency has been further accentuated by the overwhelmingly negative influence of social media on Pak-Afghan relations. Various social media platforms, in particular “X”, have become a battleground of narratives between a vast spectrum of state and non-state actors. Scanning of the social media content reveals that informed professional journalists are mostly marginalized in the social media debates.

Moreover, social media’s algorithms are designed in a way that generally makes most “polarizing” or controversial content easily accessible to the public. The integration of AI with different social media platforms is further likely to reduce the relevance and significance of TV and newspaper websites. Such digital media conditions have a substantial impact on the viability of public diplomacy. The state no longer wields disproportionate power in public diplomacy.

In the words of Al Busyra Basnur, Ambassador of Indonesia to African Union, “Public diplomacy without media will be paralyzed, and media without public diplomacy will be feeble”. In regards to improving relations and cooperation between countries as well as enhancing a positive image and promoting a country to the world, the media is also known as an actor of public diplomacy. Mass media can create a massive positive impact by widely reporting on the avenues of socioeconomic cooperation of the two countries and the mutual celebration of cultural traditions and customs. In this context, if serious and constructive debate on improving Pak-Afghan bilateral relations is to take place, then professional journalists from both countries need to recover the lost ground currently being dominated by ill-informed rhetoric and emotional diatribes.

There are several examples where journalists have spearheaded dialogue against difficult odds of hostility and negativity. The Andean-US dialogue forum is one such example where journalists and opinion makers of Central American countries collaborated with their counterparts in the USA to counter the negativities produced by distortion of facts and emotional statements of various political actors. The regular meetings of the forums provided an opportunity for the journalists to improve the quality of information being provided to the citizenry. Secondly, the forum provided an informal space for the journalists to reflect on the quality of the content being produced. Journalists were able to identify a pattern where the media was highlighting negative events and underreporting positive events. Consequently, the forum was able to provide crucial support and meaningful strengthening of diplomatic initiatives between the USA and Central American countries.

Caspian media forum is another example of journalists promoting regional cooperation on socioeconomic issues such as culture and tourism. The regular interaction of journalists on the themes of regional cooperation has positively impacted the development of a common agenda for regional diplomacy. The consultations of the Caspian Media Forum have materialized the idea of a regional media platform by the name of “Caspian today” which will allow the journalists to broadcast in all regional languages, including Azerbaijani, Kazakh, Russian, Turkmen, and Farsi, and English. One of the significant consequences emerging from this forum is that cooperation in the fields of media and culture can pave the way for good neighborly relations between countries.  

The time has come that journalists of Pakistan – Afghanistan are inspired by the examples of their colleagues elsewhere in the world and recognize their potential as a viable medium of dialogue between the two countries. The newly discovered potential of social media for journalists can be utilized to create online discussion forums where journalists can engage in meaningful and mature discussions on all kinds of issues. This trend is already gaining momentum amongst the different streams of bloggers such as religious, sports and entertainment bloggers. The professional synchronization of the participants of such blogs often leads to more coherent and smooth discussions. The current complex political situation between Pakistan and Afghanistan requires such kind of coherent and meaningful discussions amongst professional journalists who are well-informed, bipartisan and emotionally stable while analyzing issues of complex and volatile nature. 

Journalists are ideally suited to reduce the political temperature and cleanse the toxic rhetoric by offering a range of topics that can result in positive debate especially for younger audiences. This can result in toning down the relentless negativity of political coverage and news can be made more valuable and pragmatic by suggesting a way forward to both countries on matters of mutual interests. It can be hoped that the bridges built by journalists between the nations of Pakistan and Afghanistan can rise above the hateful narratives of a few opportunists.