Rebuttal from a Social Media Activist: When the heading of your article/blog contains the word “Bubble” while describing PTI’s SM presence, it reveals a certain bent of mind and a demeaning & condescending attitude. Naturally, it will extract a response from SM activisits (n)
containing similarly disparaging words toward the mainstream media journalists. Abusive behaviour, personal attacks & toxic attitude has never been condoned by IK/PTI. Whether someone who supports us indulge in it or someone from mainstream media resorts to it, it is WRONG (n)
But our journalists have also started the traditional game of obfuscation where Mullah & Islam, Patriotism & Army, Dynasts & Democracy, Lawyers & Rule of Law are considered one & the same thing. Like arguing against Mullah is deemed as an affront to Islam, countering fake (n)
news peddled by Mainstream Media Journos is termed as an attack on their freedom of expression. Freedom of expression is a two way traffic. It also grants your “audience” the right to respond & the response would be in the same language in which you started the conversation (n)
During the last 5 months of Coronavirus, PTI’s SM activists have been engaged solely in countering the fake/unverified news peddled by honourable Mainstream Media Journalists [MMJ] What follows is a brief&incomplete list of what most of the MMJs did on SM during the pandemic👇(n)
(1) Sharing doctored & edited clips of the PM & important govt. functionaries; (2) Tweeting out of context statements & ridiculing the govt’s efforts against pandemic; (3) Wilfully spreading confusion & panic in the masses when the govt. wanted cooperation from the public (n)
against an existential threat; (4) Refuting official data & figures from govts. (except Sindh Govt) & that too on flimsy grounds, hearsays, incorrect maths & illogical/non-existant relationships (5) Making incendiary political remarks & personal jokes against PTI leaders; (n)
(7) Never condemning their respectable colleagues from the “mainstream media” who make derogatory remarks against IK’s wife & his personal life; This is the gist of mainstream media’s professional journalists’ activities on SM - We have been & will continue to counter them (n)
Regarding governance, PTI’s SM activists have been the leading & vocal (constructive) critics of their Govt. They didn’t mince a word while criticising IK on his handling of Sugar & Wheat crises, lack of reforms in bureaucracy & the dismal performance of certain ministers (n)
No one is trying (or engaged) to paint a rosy picture for IK - Rather most of the party activists complain of a disconnect b/w ground reality & govt. But it is also our duty to counter those who create “perceptions of faltering governance” based on ‘fake news’ (n)
If you want to take a “moral position”, it should be across party lines. You should: • unambiguously condemn your colleagues who wilfully indulge in peddaling fake news; • demand a mechanism from the govts. to check & curb fake news (n)
• call out your colleagues who resort to abuses while engaging with PTI activists; • criticise the PPPP Govt for the threats to & killings of journalists in Sindh
