• October 11, 2015
• General News

LILLEHAMMER (Norway): Pakistan’s tax reforms have been hailed as a success of quality investigative reporting at a global conference being held here to discuss role of investigative journalists in exposing corruption, organised crime and abuse of power. The 9th Global Investigative Journalism Conference which opened on Thursday also urged the governments worldwide to prioritise the […]

• June 21, 2014
• Media Development

ISLAMABAD: Investigative reporter of The News, Umar Cheema has been voted to the board of directors of Global Investigative Journalism Network (GIJN) in the first-ever elections that chose 15 members from different parts of the world. He will hold this position for two years to represent Asia in this prestigious board that is comprised of […]

• April 24, 2014
• Freedom of Expression

ISLAMABAD: Though many media men and journalists are out to prove that Hamid Mir, Geo and Jang Group are traitors merely because Hamid Mir had alleged before the attack on him that he will be attacked by the ISI chief and some other ISI individuals, there are countless examples where regular army officials, even a […]

• April 23, 2014
• Media Ethics

ISLAMABAD: A murderous attack on Hamid Mir has been followed by unabated assaults on his employer, Geo TV. ‘Patriotic’ pundits flock to the talk show studios of the TV stations channelled around Aabpara to condemn the coverage that flashed on the screen the picture of the DG ISI, as has been accused by the victim […]

• April 20, 2014
• Freedom of Expression

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan may not be the safest place for journalism, but it does breed brave, undeterred, upright and honest journalists like Hamid Mir, who could not be silenced through violence. During the past few weeks, a sustained campaign has started where journalists are being threatened, harassed and attacked. However, Pakistani journalists are not alien to […]

• April 18, 2014
• Freedom of Expression, Front Page

In Pakistan, reporting on the military intelligence services or insurgent groups or machinations within political parties is the normal grist for the media mill. A lot of the coverage relies on reporters with inside sources. The sources use the media as a battleground for their infighting, relying on sympathetic reporters to put forward their positions. […]

• February 12, 2014
• Freedom of Expression, Front Page

Umar Cheema, a Pakistani journalist, wrote often about the military. Then one night masked men hauled him from his car and during six hours of torture, sexual humiliation, and threats, they made it clear that the reporting should stop. Cheema not only refused to stop writing, he went public with his ordeal. “I wanted to […]

• December 10, 2013
• Freedom of Expression, Front Page

CPJ’s report, Roots of Impunity, published earlier this year, provides a glimpse of the grim realities that journalists in Pakistan face when they cross red lines. Many journalists are threatened, harassed, and intimidated by a host of actors, including members of Pakistan’s security and intelligence apparatus. Some of these cases get reported, but in many […]

• November 11, 2013
• General News

WASHINGTON: Investigative journalist of The News, Umar Cheema has been honoured with the 2013 Knight International Journalism Award by ICFJ with US Secretary of State John Kerry praising Cheema for setting “new standards of courage in quality investigative reporting in Pakistan exposing corruption and abuse of power and taking great personal risk.” Cheema was announced […]