9th March Lawyers Movement

In the case of 12th May our television channel electronic media got the chance to give live coverage to the event that escalated to a level that enhanced the support of the agitation. Images broadcast on the 12th of May and the images that appear in the paper the next day of the incident are perfect examples of visual communication to the masses. These both dimension of the images have impacted the masses and there opinion towards this incident.

The intensified exchange of ideas through visual images broadcast on live television led to the greater involvement of the common population in a united cause. There was no requirement of words in interpreting the live telecast. The images were strong enough to tell a story on there own to the audience that were sitting at homes viewing it on there television sets to make form there own personal opinions.

The next day on the 13th of May as eyes rolled on the front page of all the newspapers all over the country feeling of fear surfaced among the masses. Images of severe devastation were pasted on the front pages of each and every leading newspaper of the nation. The headlines stating “Riots disrupt Karachi claim: 34 killed 140 injured” and “Armed men attacked Aaj TV office” (Dawn), “34 killed, over 140 injured in Karachi” and “Karachi: more then a dozen vehicles set to blaze” (The News). Thousands were provoked by the visuals images that appeared on the media. These images created awareness nothing was hidden any more unlike the all the previous agitations.

As it is the age of digital communication: internet and live broadcasting nothing stays hidden the truth can’t be swept under the carpet the evidence gets out either on the internet of on other news channels. Same was the case with the 9th March agitation as there are links of footage uploaded on YouTube. As the Times of London said in its editorial under the title “At war with the Media” in its issue of September 11, 1993, “the press does not have its own agenda; it is the forum in which public opinion finds expression”.

The images were woven in the activities of the people that were protesting in favor to the restoration of respect of the chief justices, the escalation of the protest communicated messages the images that were covered on the event built a story that individuals were able formulated opinion on there own. Images are always interpreted as reality when they are being broadcasted live from the incident. When ever we are being narrated a story we refer it to the images we already have stored in our minds. If an image is shown we start too interpreted in to words and feeling, thus the images communicates in a pattern that bring forth thought process.