Ansar Abbasi, the Jang Group ‘Investigative Editor’ whose sources were termed ‘incorrigable liars’ by Chief Justice Lahore High Court last year, was featured on the front page of The News complaining that elements within the military establishment have been feeding distorted information to the media. Ironically, Ansar Abbasi concludes his complaining about “unnamed sources” by […]

The following thought provoking column by Yawar Abbas raises several excellent points for examination. The piece was originally published in Daily Times on 24 March 2011 and is re-posted here for your consideration. The assassination of Salmaan Taseer at the hands of a religious zealot threw open the debate over the media’s role in encouraging […]

The nation’s propaganda rings are relentless. Even after having been exposed for their true nature by multiple independent outlets, the perpetrators of these conspiracy theories continue unashamed with their media manipulations. The most recent example is especially amusing as it manages to include nearly every possible conspiracy theory rolled into one. As per usual, it […]

When the US under President George Bush decided to invade Iraq, a well documented propaganda campaign was undertaken in which the American people were convinced that Saddam Hussein was involved in 9/11 attacks – a piece of misinformation that was necessary to justify the invasion of Iraq. The propaganda tactic used was a simple one […]

Proper investigative journalism is severely lacking and this is effecting not only our own media but international reporting on Pakistan as well. As reporting on Pakistan becomes more and more dangerous for foreign journalists, often accused of being ‘spies’ by certain right-wing elements, the international press becomes reliant on our own journalists to feed them […]

by Farhat Taj Some people in Waziristan have requested that I write about a column published in the Urdu daily Mashriq on January 2, 2011. Following is the summary of the column, titled ‘Hakeemullah Mehsud’s lover’. A senior female French journalist contacted a tribal journalist form Waziristan via Facebook. The French lady requested him to […]

The Nation has long held onto the Nazariya-e-Pakistan philosophy of the Zia years, Majid Nizami even going so far as to brag in his official biography that “General Zia-ul-Haq recommended him as a nominee to the Shura”. (It should be noted that Nizami incorrectly says that the Shura was the parliament, when in all actuality […]

Media is ofter termed a ‘watch dog’ and indeed this is one important role of the media. Personally, I think this is a poor metaphor. For one thing, ‘watch dog’ assumes that there is an outside threat and that its master must be protected and never questioned. In the case of media it is too […]

The propagandists behind the fake Wikileaks story that was exposed by The Guardian continue trying to dig their way out of the hole they have found themselves in. What is curious is that faced with inarguable proof that they have finally been caught manufacturing stories, they only continue to protest their innocence and refuse to […]

Ahmed Quraishi is back in the news again, but not for the reason he might like. Rather the prolific consipiracy theorist has caught the attention of actual journalists and commentators who are exposing his antics. This is not the first time that Quraishi has been criticised by real journalists. One year ago he received a […]