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. […]
“Crisis-driven media cannot afford to hang about for too long. As a business needs cash turnover, the media needs a crisis turnover and are engaged in crisis production that seeks to find ways of manufacturing them in an easily consumable, spectator-friendly format.” –– Arundhati Roy The above words of Arundhati Roy represent the exact scenario […]
“Journalism and terrorism are by definition the same: systemic use of terror as a tool of political coercion.” –Harris Bin Munawar The proliferation of the news media in Pakistan in the last decade has put its civilian population under an enhanced threat from journalists. According to recent reports, millions of unsuspecting citizens of the country […]
The major news item on all media outlets is the progress on the peace talks being conducted between the government appointed team and their counterparts nominated by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Unsurprisingly, foreign stakeholders in the prospects of peace in Pakistan, like the US, EU, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, Iran and India, are also keenly observing […]
KARACHI: Former Minister for Information and Broadcasting Javed Jabbar said at a roundtable discussion that there is a need of establishing an independent watchdog “News Broadcast Standard Authority” comprising senior media professionals and civil society to oversee and monitor ethical journalism practices in media in Pakistan. He said that there should be an independent body […]
Vo intizar tha jiska, ye vo sahar to nahin (It’s not the dawn we expected; It’s not the dawn we were looking for — Translated by Mahmud Jamal) THE words of Faiz Ahmed Faiz, written in August 1947, may well be applied to the outcome of the long struggle for freedom of the media in […]
She has been brutally raped, with visible marks of physical injuries. Her mental state, trauma and the psychological impact of this agonising incident are yet to be assessed. Her name is all over the media, her face splashed, her parents interviewed and by now everyone who watches 24/7 news channels knows the minutest details of […]
A LONG time ago the church was very powerful in Europe. So powerful that if anybody spoke against the priest or pastor, he was punished to the extent that his or her generations remembered. The common punishment was burning alive on the stakes. The church used to poke its nose in all affairs, may it […]
Experts of civil society, owners of private TV channels, representatives of associations of electronic and print media and advertisers, teachers and students of Mass-communication Department University of Karachi and others have reviewed the recommendations of Media Commission appointed by Supreme Court of Pakistan. This review was held at a roundtable event jointly organised by Citizens’ […]
Aamer Ahmad Khan is a respected name in the field of journalism in Pakistan. He is one of the few who have made a name for themselves internationally. He started his career as a reporter for The Nation newspaper, and then was in the launch team of Friday Times. Before joining BBC, he was serving […]
KARAK: The participants of a discussion on the title of ‘Impacts of Pakistani Media, Positive or Negative’ held here on Tuesday at Khushal Khan Khattak University stressed on the media to play more responsible role in eradication of extremis from the society and added that the foreign culture invasion should be countered affectively. The all […]
ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court is likely to issue an order on Monday for making public a list of media houses and journalists who had received government money in the name of national security after it is testified by the information ministry to be a true document. A two-judge bench comprising Justice Jawwad S. Khawaja and […]
That elements of the Pakistani media were open to political influence in exchange for hard cash has long been suspected but never conclusively proved. It may be now. A Pandora’s box of troubles may open with the imminent release of a hitherto hidden list of journalists and media organisations that have been bribed by the […]
The ostensibly liberal publication gave space quite liberally to Ludhianvi to bash the Shia without a single challenging question being asked Pakistan finally saw democratically elected national and provincial assemblies plod past the five-year finish line — a first in the country’s history. Despite many flaws the outgoing parliamentarians added several constitutional feathers to their […]
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