The discussions on the TV channels lack matter experts, the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE) concluded in a research: The Electronic Media Economy in Pakistan: Issues and Challenges.
It suggested that the participation in TV debates should be 80 percent specialists and 20 percent political persons or representatives of political parties, which is the rule implemented by well-known news channels like BBC and CNN.
In the study of particular major talk shows, the research by the government-funded institute found that 73 percent of invitees were political figures, 22 percent were specialists and only 5 percent were experts. The study said that of the 10 studied talk shows, the percentage part of host talking average time was 42 percent. It paints an austere picture for giving time to guest speakers and anchors, taking eover the show rather than being a controller of the programme content.
It said the debates and contents are highly important in how things are taken in consideration, how people, policies, activities, events, and changes are defined, and whether they should be acknowledged or overruled by those who matter.
In the analyzed talk shows during January 2021, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) had the chief presence, 42 percent, then came Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN), 34 percent, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), 20 percent and Jamiate Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), 3 percent.
