Within few hours of the tragic suicide attacks at Lahore Cantt, Geo News released two amateur videos of the incident. One video shows moments just before the second blast, the other shows immediate aftermath of the blasts. The contents of the second video are quite graphic in nature. Among fire, smoke, and destroyed vehicles, injured (possibly dead) people can be seen lying on the floor as well. The cries of shocked citizens and commentary of the cameraman make the video even more objectionable.

The amateur cameraman can be blamed only a little for making the video. Instead of rescuing the injured, he opted to make the video on his cellphone only because he was aware of the prize waiting for him. Not only was his video, along with his name, shown continuously on Geo News, but the newscasters also interviewed this proud ‘Geo Dost’ live.

One wonders if free media is really what we need. Or at least till media in Pakistan realizes its responsibility, strict regulations should be imposed. Such graphic material only amplifies terror. So in a way, the media takes the work of terrorists to every household. And that’s not all, Pakistani news channels are also known for breaking news without verifying it. The culture of ‘We break news first!’ must be replaced by ‘We are most reliable’.