I have never really trusted the mass media. Most large media companies are owned by people whose focus is on economic and personal success, and not on portrayal of the truth. This biases the stories they choose to tell, as well as the way in which they tell them. In some cases, it even biases them to the point of ignoring the truth entirely.

A current example of this is Osama Bin Laden, the man the media want you to hate. Now I don't like what's going on any more than you do. The deaths of innocent people is tragic, no matter what the circumstances are. The problem is that no one really knows that much about who caused the “terrorist actions”, or why they did it. There is no solid evidence to support the theory that Bin Laden was in any way involved in what happened, and yet the media, and therefore the general public, have decided that he is the person responsible.

The media will do anything within their power to make this more believable. The more people believe, the longer this will continue and the more people will pay attention to the media. It's quite simple. What worries me is that people don't question any of it.

Recently, it was announced — by the media — that Bin Laden is in possession of chemical and nuclear weapons. He supposedly announced to the world that he was willing to use these weapons. The problem is that it seems Bin Laden never said he had nuclear weapons. The English translation of the original interview contains different quotes to the Urdu original.

I'm not trying to convince you to switch off your televisions or stop reading your morning paper; we need to remain informed. I am trying to convince you to remain just a little bit skeptical about what you do hear and read, and to remember just what the media has to gain out of all of this. They're not without benefit from the current scenario, and they're not below manipulating it to their own, or anybody else's, gain.