On Monday’s Capital Talk, Hamid Mir reviewed a clip from the Difa-e-Pakistan Council’s rally in Karachi on Sunday. At issue was something that has become a troubling trend in Pakistan – threats to journalists. For those who do not understand Urdu, please allow me to explain. The clip that Hamid Mir played shows Qari Sheikh […]
On the front page of The News on Wednesday, Ansar Abbasi makes the shocking revelation that Naval Chief Admiral (R) Saeed Muhammad Khan, under whose oversight the controversial purchase of French Agosta submaries took place, has told the court investigating the scandal that it wasn’t his fault. It must be an interesting world that Ansar […]
Two items must be noted about the episode of Khari Baat of 4 July. First is that Mubashir Lucman repeats the old debunked visa conspiracy theory. Actually this claim that there are 7,000 Raymond Davis’s running around Pakistan is not only disproven but quite ridiculous also. In February, Ambassador Husain Haqqani held a press conference […]
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 […]
Meher Bokhari’s story should be a permanent fixture in journalism school as a warning to those future media stars who might be tempted to sacrifice all consideration of ethics, responsibility, and the safety of others for a boost in ratings and personal careers. The final chapter in Bokhari’s story has not been written, though, and […]
I must admit that I was surprised to see Ahmed Quraishi eulogizing Salmaan Taseer this morning. He eloquently praises the late Governor for his principled stand and laments his killing. But I also found his column somewhat crass – a political operative exploiting a national tragedy to promote his political agenda. Ahmed Quraishi’s eulogy for […]
PEMRA is finding itself in the spotlight this week, its actions getting mixed reviews from commenters for its inconsistency in enforcing electronic media regulations. Blog Cafe Pyala notes that PEMRA issued fines on Rs. 1 million each to Samaa TV and Waqt TV for airing an interview of Mumtaz Qadri who has confessed to murdering […]
Much is said about the role of media as watch dog. This is almost always used as a justification for criticising government policy or accusing someone of corruption, usually without any evidence. It’s true that keeping watch over politicians and government officials is part of media’s role in society (though it must be done honestly […]
Samad Khurram’s latest column for Express Tribune explains why the out of control media shares some responsibility for the death of Salmaan Taseer, and why it is so imperative that we get it under control before it destroys us all. It is quite likely that the tragic murder of Salmaan Taseer, much like the other […]
The media response to the assassination of Governor Punjab Salmaan Taseer today has been deplorable. Just when I think that things can not reach a lower level, I turn on my TV to be yet again disappointed. From the comments of Ansar Abbasi and Irfan Siddiqui to Geo’s animated depiction of the vicious murder, the […]