April 4, 2021
Without going into the merits of the ratings game, one wonders why show runners distort the reality of the legal rights of women
The recent manipulation of videos from the Aurat March has highlighted how truth can be distorted through technology. Media, both social and mainstream, can now be used to subvert any cause. Although we can push back against and identify the damage that social media does to the movement for the empowerment of women, the electronic media, particularly TV serials, play a far more sinister role in disempowering women.
The TRPs (target rating points) are to blame for this. Meters, installed across Pakistan, calculate which dramas are watched the most and what time-slots receive the largest audience. Based on this data, the channels ostensibly decide the themes and stories that the audience can most relate to. They show miserable, pathetic and weak women, walking on eggshells, constantly in fear of losing their honour. Experienced producers have