Role of Media in Psy-ops

Technical and Business Writing Project

Submitted to
Dr.Fakhira Riaz
Group Members
 Ramla Maryam
 Misbah Noreen
 Sumia Ahmed
 Rida Safeer
 Humaira Mehmood
Dated
May 30, 2014
Course Tittle
Technical and Business Writing
 Introduction
Psy-ops is a term used to depict the tactics intended to manipulate one's opponents or enemies,
such as the dissemination of propaganda or the use of psychological warfare. Media Psy-ops is
the phenomenon which encompasses media perception as a weapon of information warfare to
manipulate public opinion from being normal and unbiased to prejudice and brain washed.

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 Executive Summary

Media holds a key position in our life in the modern world. It has certainly helped this world in
becoming a global village. It has made the man more aware, systematic and sophisticated. But
here we intend to discuss the other aspect of media which has caused havoc in our lives without
our realization. Various techniques are used that are aimed to influence the target audience’s
value, believes, emotions, motives and behavior. It in fact controls the human mind and heart.
We are justified to say that a certain segment of media has rather become a weapon of
psychological warfare.
Media has a significant role to play in the country’s success. Its duty is to show the truth
but it should not always portray the negative aspects of the country. It can change opinions
because it has access to a mere lay man too, and this gives it mentionable strength. This strength
can either be used constructively by educating people or it can be used destructively by
misleading the naive public and diverting the attention of people from important issues towards
insignificant issues. Power of media can transform the whole society as it can be used as a
‘weapon of mass destruction’. A segment of media in Pakistan is playing key role in psy-ops. It
should be the reflection of society it is operating in but our media has become the reflection of
alien cultures and low morality standards. Our television channels are propagating the negative
image of our Pakistan in international forum.
Our media anchors often divert the attention of the people from the actual issues to
insignificant ones on behest of agenda they are working for. The media is focusing more on
fabrication rather than the truth, creating a negative depiction highlighting the specific sort of
issues that disrepute the society. Our media does not serve the national interest of our country
nor does it revers the religious norms. It divides the public opinion into chaos and confusion
rather than conjoining them on one reasonable judgment. It is creating a sense in which people
are becoming biased and do not think about the national interest of our country. As in the
modern days television channels are accessible everywhere so it is creating a sense of havoc in
our society. The people who watch these channels in foreign countries come to know about that
Pakistan is full of ill-cultured people, who are involved in crimes. The media has totally ignored
the role it should play in this transition period we are passing through.

REFERENCE:

M Zafar, Shaukat (2013). Pakistan Observer. Destructive role of media.

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 Literature Review

The free electronic media in Pakistan was initiated by President General Pervez
Musharraf. Growth of Satellite system facilitated its technical side. Multinational
advertisements provided huge income to make the business viable.
There are a number of private channels operating in Pakistan, and their main purpose is to
make money. The dramatic background music, images of clashes between security officials and
civilians and riots all part of sensationalism, enticing the viewer to turn on the television set.
Our media is not portraying the real picture of our society, but those anchors are hired on
channel that possess skills of creating sensationalism and who add spice to news
with their self-created interpretations, this is an example of how media channels
are departing from objectivity and balanced reporting. As there are various private
channels in Pakistan which are owned by big investors with purpose to make money no matter
even if they have to be treacherous to Pakistan for this purpose. In order to make business,
attract more viewer ship and resultantly more commercials they even sometimes forget the
damage caused to national interest. Through media tiny is made mighty and vice versa.

Media can play public accountability role by monitoring and investigating the actions of those
who are granted public trust and who may be tempted to abuse their office for private gain. The
media should work to educate the people, to help the people and to liberate the people and to
empower the people. There are times when they should overlook their personal interests and air
material that is beneficial for the country. The news channels should cease this race of breaking
first news just act normal. Media is a source of information or communication but now it has
been transformed to a mere source of making money and working for foreign agenda
As the channels represent the image of our country at the national and at the international
level so the main purpose of the media is to create good impression of Pakistan at the
international level. But in the last seven years media is not playing its role according to its duty
and authority. As main stream media has become the main story telling vehicle and the
journalist have become the key players in legend making and identity building. Professional
journalists a r e r e s p o n s i b l e t o c r e a t e a s e n s e o f b e l o n g i n g a n d t o e n c o u r a g e
t h e y o u t h o f P a k i s t a n t o behave like a responsible Pakistani. Contrary that,
Pakistani media has taken a completely new direction and is determined to create a
dreadful situation in the name of ‘freedom of press’.

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 Research Methodology
The research methodology used for compiling this report is a public survey and references to
articles of senior analysts.
A survey has been conducted in which we designed a questionnaire and gave it to different
people in order to analyze their psychological state of affairs.
The questionnaire is attached with the report.

DESCRIPTIVE STUDY
Views and the suggestion of the senior analysts and researchers about the
role of media in psychological war:

“Independent media reporting can play an important role in pressuring the government to act in
the public interest. It can change opinions because it has access to people and this gives it a lot
of strength. This strength can either be used constructively by educating the people or it can be
used destructively by misleading the innocent people; could spoil everything by diverting the
attention of people from important issues towards insignificant issues. Power of the media can
transform the whole society or it can be used as a ‘weapon of mass destruction. The media in
Pakistan is playing negatively”. (M Zafar,2013).

“Journalism in Pakistan is a failure”. (M Zafar,2013).

“By providing platforms for various dominant stakeholders the media has assumed the role of
custodian of collective interest.” (Pirzada, 2009)

“The strategic vulnerability Pakistan now faces in this media war is so serious that it should be
without exaggeration compared to the threat to its survival that the country faced on the eve of
India’s first nuclear test in 1974.” (Pirzada, 2009)

“The recent development in media offensive against Pakistan is more disturbing, as it has
entered into media manipulation phase by buying elements in all the notable media outlets of
Pakistan. According to reports, some 50 million dollars have been allocated to be spent on
Pakistani media by US administration, in order to get a soft corner for US policies in the region.
This is a concerning development for Pakistani media and masses, as it will hijack the Pakistani
media to portray events as per wishes of US.”

“The timing of recent media allocation has raised many eyebrows in circle of critics of US
policies. They feel the money will be used to expand the US footprint in Pakistani media to
expand its psy-ops to mould opinion of masses, as per US policy makers. One such example is
Voice of America, a radio and TV platform that speaks for the government of US, already has a
tie-up with some private TV channels”

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REFERENCE:
Shah, Farzana. (2010). BrassTacks Monthly Security Review. Building Responses to 4th
Generation Warfare.

Views of general public

According to views of people, media is playing very negative role on our society. They are
telecasting such dramas and news which are very irreverent and immoral in nature. They can
also change the mindset of people by giving them breaking news about different topics. They are
raising such slogans as “GEO OR GENAY DO”, “YEY KHAMOSHI KAB TAK” etc. They can also
change the meaning of different lines or quotes such that “PARHNAY LIKHNAY KAY SIWA
PAKISTAN KA MATLAB KIA”. A segment of traitor media like Geo group working on Indian
agenda, tries to influence the foreign policies and academic curriculum of Pakistan by airing
agenda as Aman ki Asha and Chal Parha.

It creates chaos and anarchy among the general public. They telecast unauthenticated news by
which people get confused about their own sense of judgment. Channels like Geo group work on
foreign agenda to convulse the ideological and geographical boundaries of Pakistan and as they
audaciously speak against the armed forces and secrete agencies of Pakistan.

Data Analysis
Media has strong psychological impact on public which could be either extremely negative or
positive. It depends on how media make use of its influence. Main stream media is the moulder
of society because they control the minds of the masses.

A survey was conducted on role of media in psychological warfare. Questioners were given to the
people regardless of their age group and gender distinction. Results revealed are shown in
following tables and graphs.

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 TV Viewership Tv Channels Viewership
People Who Watch Informative Channels

People Who People Who Watch Entertainment Channels

Habitually
40%
Watch TV
60%
People Who
30%
Occasionally
Watch TV 70%

Results exposed in survey have the following negative as well as unbiased perceptions of
participant evaluated through the questions included in the questioner of this survey.

Question Negative Unbiased

Number Perception Perception
% %
3 60 40
4 40 60
5 10 90
6 20 80
7 10 90
8 80 20
9 40 60
10 30 70

Role Of Media In Psychological Warfare

100
90
80
70
60
50 NEGATIVE PERCEPTION
40
UNBIASED PERCEPTION
30
20
10
0
Q3 Q4 Q5 Q6 Q7 Q8 Q9 Q10

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 Conclusion:
Our research work concludes that a segment of main stream media is playing treacherous role to
desecrate the ideology of Pakistan and morality standards of Islam. A number of people are
falling prey to these predators, but still there is a segment of general public who has the ability to
recognize the poison with in these traitors. The band of sensible and patriotic public is working
to counter back this information warfare through any means of authority they have. But since
the treacherous segment of main stream media is maligning the image of Pakistan on
international plate form which is often inaccessible to general public. So it is playing havoc to
reputation of Pakistan as a nuclear state.

Recommendations:
Keeping the above compiled report, strong media management is fundamental requirement to
counter media perceptions as a weapon of information warfare.
The following recommendations are to be considered in order to counter media psy-ops;

1) Rules of PEMRA (Pakistan Electronic Media Regularity Authority) should be strictly and
practically implemented.
2) Supreme Court of Pakistan should hang the journalists once they are proved traitors, as
the penalty for treachery is death in constitution of Pakistan.
3) Pakistani government must make sure that any media exchange agreement between
Pakistan and India takes place on reciprocal basis. Indian channels are being allowed in
Pakistan uninterruptedly but Pakistan channels are facing strict bans in most parts of the
India .
4) If any TV channel is found suspicious of propagating foreign agenda in Pakistan,
desecrating Islamic norms, speaking against Pak Armed forces, conveying
unauthenticated news etc, its license should be immediately dismissed even before
starting an official trail and waiting for the results. There is no compromise to nourish
the traitors in Pakistan.
5) Strict check and balance should be kept on cable operators who record Indian programs
and then telecast them on their personal channels in order to make cash regardless of the
damage they are causing to the society.