Wednesday 25 April 2012

National Press Club Main Governing Body


Shehyar Khan for Secretary
Farooq Faisal Khan for President



Shehyar Khan for Secretary, Afzal Javed for Finance Secretary


Oath taking ceremony at National Press Club: Pakistan


NPC’s newly elected body takes oath: out-going President takes oath
Islamabad April 25: Newly elected body of National Press Club (NPC) Islamabad on Wednesday took oath of the office at a simple but impressive ceremony on Thursday here at the auditorium of the club.
            Setting innovative trends, the outgoing President NPC Afzal Butt took oath from the in-coming Executive body of the club. The function was largely attended by notables drawn from variety of shades of life, besides federal ministers, parliamentarians, politicians, religious scholars and representatives from the civil society.

Constants for a free press: Philippine Press Institute conference

By JUAN L. MERCADO, juan_mercado77@yahoo.com

Seventy six national and community newspapers will gather for a two day Philippine Press Institute conference on “Media Accountability and Public Engagement.  President Benigno Aquino will key note this two day meeting.
Discussions will include sessions on a Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism presentation on an “Asian Media Barometer”, “Self-Regulation” to “Reporting the Environment”.
It promises to be a useful exercise. Far too many today take liberty of expression as a constitutional given, “constant as the northern star,” Shakespeare would write.

Is journalism in crisis?

Kevin Anderson 
With the decline of newspapers, it is important to encourage and nourish independent journalism and media.
London, United Kingdom - Journalism is in crisis!
It's a cry you hear often from journalists in the West, and it's easy to see why.
  • A 2010 study in the UK estimated that between 15,000 to 20,000 journalist had lost their jobs since 2001, and the cuts have continued over the last two years.
  • In the UK, the cuts have not just been at newspapers as the BBC has been forced to cut thousands of staff, many of them in its news departments. Its funding has been frozen and it has had to absorb the costs of funding World Service, which used to be funded directly by the British government.
  • A 2010 study found that between 2007 to 2009, newspaper circulation dropped precipitously in many developed countries, including down by 20 per cent in Greece, 18 per cent in Japan, 17 per cent in Canada and most dramatically by 25 per cent in the UK and a staggering 30 per cent in the US.
  • A recent report by the professional networking site, LinkedIn, found that of 30 industries, employment in the US decreased most in newspapers during the recession.

Media urged to ensure implementation of ethics


FAISALABAD: Speakers at a seminar have urged media to ensure implementation of the media ethics and give solutions to the social issues of common man instead of focusing on crime and politics at large.

The seminar on media ethics was arranged by the Public Relations and Publications Department, the University of Agriculture Faisalabad, the Higher Education Commission and the Press Council of Pakistan.

Media role in national grief

Ayesha Zee Khan
 Pakistan a hard country is a title given to the book written by Anatol Lieven, where he categorically points to the resilience of the nation. This country of nearly 200 million people has witnessed quite a lot in terms of tragedy, death, and misfortune. One such incident happened on Friday 20th April 2012, when Bhoja Airlines flight B-213 on its route from Karachi-Islamabad met an unlucky fate near “loi beer” a small village near Chaklala Air force base at 6:40pm PST. The 127 (the crew and passengers) people on board that flight were killed, with its remains scattered in a 5/10 mile km radius on land. The passengers: 110 adults, 5 newborn babies and 6 other children were onboard in crashed plane.

Tuesday 24 April 2012

Remembering Ahmad Azeez Zia

By: Dr Shahid A. Zia
My father, affectionately called Zia Sahib by everyone, died on April 22, 2004, i.e. eight years ago, at the ripe old age of 80. That dreadful Thursday evening, he had his supper and medication; I was with him in his room and talking to him while he was sitting upright in his chair, listening with his eyes closed, and suddenly I realised that he had died. I found it all so shocking. Even today, I am torn apart to think that there was nothing I could do to help him. Literally speaking, he died peacefully in my arms.

The media can press ahead with an eye on the truth

By Mustapha Kamil Mohd Janor | mustaphakamil@nst.com.my
 A CAREER journalist who eventually became publisher of the Chicago Tribune wrote in his much acclaimed book, News Value, that the newspaper has its own character long before reporters and editors come to the job and that it will still have such character long after they leave.
Jack Fuller went on to write that while editors may have their opinions on a subject matter of interest, such personal worldviews don't matter once they sit in the day's final editorial conference.
The only thing that counts would be adherence to the truth discipline. And on one of the walls in his office is written these words: "To Help Society Master Their World Through Knowledge".

Media coverage

Anum Shaharyar
 In defense, people say that the competition among these channels is cut throat and that with the boom of informational technology, these channels must do what they have to do, but downgrading themselves just to get the greatest number of views seems a tad harsh. Shouldn’t morality and ethics be considered?

Press freedom must be safeguarded, says Marri

KARACHI - “The power of the Press is a concept which is neither new nor a foreign to our region. In fact, it was a major component in Pakistan’s independence right from the British Raj,” said Sindh Minister for Information Shazia Marri while addressing a seminar at the Karachi University on “Media Ethics and Laws for Future Journalists” on Saturday.
She said that the independence movement would never have been successful without the support of legendary journalists. “From Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, who sought to bridge the gap between the Muslims and the Britishers, to Maulana Muhammad Ali Jauhar, the founder of both Comrade and Hamdard; from Baba-e-Sahafat Zafar Ali Khan to the founder of Nawa-i-Waqt Hameed Nizami; from icons like Ghulam Rasool Mahar and Abdul Majeed Saliq, to Abul Kalam Azad, Hasrat Mohani. Above all Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah was the strongest believer in the power of the Press,” she said.

Journalism ethics: social media Tweets a lesson to its electronic counterpart

AMAR GURIRO
 KARACHI - While the electronic media broadcasted special programmes on the tragic Bhoja Air crash, criticising the airline administration, government authorities and other airliner companies for the second day running, on the social front, celebrities, senior journalists and intellectuals vehemently disapproved of the television channels live coverage of graphic scenes at the crash site.
There were no survivors as the Bhoja Air flight B737-200 travelling from Karachi to Islamabad carrying 121 passengers and six crew members crashed near the Islamabad airport on Friday evening.
After the news broke, private television channels raced to the scene broadcasting live coverage of the crash site, showing the aircraft wreckage, the blood splattered around and even the body parts of the victims strewn all over the place.

Bhoja disaster and the role of media

Ayesha Zee Khan
 PAKISTAN a Hard Country” is a title given to the book written by Anatol Lieven, where he categorically points to the resilience of the nation. This country of nearly 200 million people has witnessed quite a lot in terms of tragedy, death, and misfortune. One such incident happened on Friday 20th April 2012, when Bhoja Airlines flight B-213 on its route from Karachi-Islamabad met an unlucky fate near “loi beer” a small village near Chaklala Air force base at 6:40pm PST. The 127 (the crew and passengers) people on board that flight were killed, with its remains scattered in a 5/10 mile km radius on land. The passengers: 110 adults, 5 new born babies and 6 other children were onboard in crashed plane.

Saturday 21 April 2012

Editors Round Table on “reporting Conflict”

Free access of journalists sought for reporting from conflict areas
The media and civil society professionals have sought end to role of intelligence agencies, free access to the conflict zones and proper training of media professionals for better, responsible and independent conflict reporting.
They expressed their views at a round table discussion with print media and civil society professionals on the topic of “Reporting Conflict” organized by the Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF) at a local hotel of Lahore on 13th April, 2012.

Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF) Roundtable Discussion with Senior Electronic Media Professionals & CSOs,

Safety of Journalists urged
The participants of National Roundtable discussion have said that reporting in conflict areas had become a difficult task and journalists have been facing enormous challenges and threats; therefore, serious and effective measures should be taken to ensure the safety and security of journalists. It was said that 70 percent of Pakistan was being underreported in the press/media due to journalists not knowing even the basics of news, and strategic position of the area in which they were working.

PTA ordered to follow rules in blocking websites

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) has ordered the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) not to block any website against the provisions of the Pakistan Telecommunication (Re-Organisation) Act, 1996.
The court also issued notices to the federation, through the Ministry of Information Technology and telecommunication secretary and the PTA, through its chairman.

Senior journalist found dead

Karachi: In an incident that shocked the city, senior journalist Murtaza Razvi was found murdered at the studio of an artist friend in DHA on Thursday morning. The body of the 48-year-old Magazines Editor, Dawn, was found in a flat located in what is popularly known as Khadda or Delton’s Market in the Darakhshan police limits and police claimed he had been strangled to death.

Tuesday 17 April 2012

Journalists, advertisers given awards: APNS urged to look into salary issue

ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari asked the All Pakistan Newspapers Society (APNS) on Monday to look into the issue of payment of salary to workers and journalists, besides implementation of the seventh Wage Board award and setting up of the eighth wage board.
Addressing the 22nd APNS award ceremony at the Aiwan-i-Sadr, the president said the government recognised and respected the critical role of the media in promoting democracy, adding that an independent media was a guarantor of human rights, freedom and liberty.
According to an official handout, Mr Zardari said record of this government in upholding freedom of the media and tolerance of dissent spoke for itself.

JI accuses media of promoting nudity, vulgarity

Karachi: Jamaat-e Islami (JI) Karachi chief Muhammad Hussain Mehnati has expressed concern over the alleged spread of nudity and vulgarity in the Pakistani media, also asking the cable operators to stop airing Hindi films.
In a statement issued here on Monday, Mehnati alleged that the Pakistani print and electronic Media had deliberately destroyed the image of Islamic ideology and Pakistani culture by incorporating vulgarity in commercials, news bulletin and plays.
The statement claimed that some influential elements in the Pakistani media were hell-bent upon replacing the traditional culture with ‘Western and Hindu’ values, and were trying to brainwash the country’s youth.

Monday 16 April 2012

War on Terror Traumatises Pakistani Women


Credit:Ashfaq Yusufzai/IPS
PESHAWAR, Pakistan, Apr 16, 2012 (IPS) - Collateral damage caused by the ‘war on terror’, prosecuted by the United States and its allies in Afghanistan since 2001, may well extend to psychological trauma sustained by thousands of women in the bordering areas of northwestern Pakistan.

"The prolonged war has caused psychological problems to a majority of the residents of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), especially the women," says Prof. Syed Muhammad Sultan at the psychiatry department of the Khyber Teaching Hospital (KTH) in this northwestern city.

News of the world in D.C.

History of journalism beautifully rendered in exhibits at Washington's Newseum 

By ,Toronto Sun

At the Newseum, freedom of the press starts with freedom of movement and freedom of architecture.
No actual papers are seen upon entering its Great Hall, but the eye is drawn to the top of the 27-metre atrium, where all available light should get in.
Dangling 23,000 square metres above 30 galleries, theatres and broadcast studios are the most modern tools of 21st century news gathering, a 12-by-6-metre HD media screen, a TV news chopper and a communications satellite.
But a quick glass elevator ride puts you in the News History gallery, with carefully preserved publications dating from 1455.

Journalism under pressure

Syed Talat Hussain
A new trend threatens journalists’ judicious editorial judgment and credibility. This is the trend of increasing demands from a long list of groups that want media space by hook or by crook. True, the afflicted souls in Pakistan have always turned towards the media to express their grievances and to seek justice. True also that protesting crowds and wronged parties have traditionally flocked to media offices in the hope of forcefully pleading their case. But the present-day situation is different: too many groups are asking for too much space, quite literally attempting to force their agendas down news-persons’ throats and running vicious campaigns in order to succeed.

Saturday 14 April 2012

Mali: Concern for Journalists, Serious Setback for Media Freedom

Press release
With parliamentary speaker Dioncounda Traoré newly installed as interim president, Reporters Without Borders looks back at the past three weeks of turmoil in Mali since the 22 March coup d'état and, in particular, its impact on media freedom and the country's journalists.
"The nationwide chaos and ensuing grave problems - including partition of the country, human rights violations, displaced persons and violence - have not spared the media and have dealt a serious setback to press freedom," Reporters Without Borders said.

The growth of free and independent media in Pakistan

Dr. Firdous Ashiq Awan
TODAY, we are living in the age of information. With the advent of modern technologies and social media, it is impossible to ignore the rapid growing need for information in every walk of life. Nowadays everyone is dependent on quick, easy and reliable source of information for their effective and efficient working. Now, the world has become a global village and information is not less than lifeblood to all government officials, politicians, agriculturists, businessmen, industrialists, stock market professionals, academicians, teachers and even layman citizens. The information is directly linked with the inevitable media growth across the world. Today the media is altogether a different entity as it used to be in the past. The vibrant, independent and responsible media is inevitable to nurture democratic societies.

Pakistani journalist comes to Eagle as Daniel Pearl Fellow


PITTSFIELD -- It's a long way from Pakistan to the United States -- physically, emotionally, culturally and spiritually.
But Adnan Rashid has made the journey to learn more about journalism so that he can report more thoroughly about the area he lives in to the rest of the world.
A 31-year-old radio journalist, Rashid joined The Berkshire Eagle last week as a Daniel Pearl-Saleem Shahzad Fellow, selected through the Alfred Friendly Press Fellowship in Washington, D.C. He will be based in Pittsfield until the fellowship ends in late August. Rashid's tasks at The Eagle will include reporting on news events, writing op-ed pieces and blogging.

Friday 13 April 2012

Abdullah, 15, works against porn material flood on Internet

ISLAMABAD: Generally it is hard to be a teen that is more known for its perils and pitfalls than anything else. But here we have a 15 years old Abdullah Ghazi from Karachi, who has emerged as a symbol of struggle against a fast spreading modern day social evil – unchecked influx of pornographic material through Internet rattling the very foundations of the society. At his age the teenagers are mostly involved in fun, fight and fair but this young boy has opted for a much serious fight. His fight is with the system, the state institutions, the indifferent society, the western snobs and the confused liberals.

Thursday 12 April 2012

Pakistan refuses details on journalists’ murder inquiry


ISLAMABAD: The government showed its true colour on the question of press freedom in a recent meeting of Unesco in Paris where it neither produced any report of inquiry into the killings of journalists nor endorsed the UN draft plan on the safety of journalists and the issue of impunity.
Also, the country’s representative in attendance objected to the presence of NGOs working on journalists’ safety, in that important meeting of Unesco. The UN draft action plan, other than taking safety measures and devising inter-agency mechanism for protecting journalists, has proposed demanding of the member-states to pass legislations to prosecute the killers of journalists.

Timeless tips for producing quality journalism

Some journalism skills are timeless. They were as important when I started my career using a typewriter and fat editing pencils as they are today. And I think they will be important 40 years from now, when today’s journalism students are men and women of middle age, teaching the skills to young journalism students.
Write tight
I learned the importance of writing tight as a student at Texas Christian University in the 1970s. Then, and for much of my career, you needed to write tight because newsprint was expensive and space in newspapers was precious. Now you need to write tight because online readers will move on to something else if you don’t hold their attention and because Twitter gives you only 140 characters to make your point.

Long, hard wait for salaries at Daily Pakistan Today

LAHORE: There appears to be no end to the agonizing wait for salaries at Pakistan Today with the employees not having been paid since January this year.
About two weeks ago Babar Nizami, the Chief Operating Officer (COO) sent a text message to all heads of departments informing them the salaries would be paid in a day or two, raising hopes among staff. However, they were never disbursed that left the employees frustrated.

Note from the publisher

Over the past year our newspaper has come of age. Many wonderful individuals have come and gone, leaving their mark on the pages and on the way we see ourselves. In the process, The Express Tribune, as an institution, has become stronger. Although sometimes one is nostalgic for the initial idealism which often burst onto the pages in eccentric and interesting ways, on the whole the changes have been good for the paper and the quality of journalism has consistently improved.

Intellectual Property (IP) Award for Pakistani Journalists

Intellectual Property Organization of Pakistan: Intellectual Property (IP) is critical for competitive economy in the back drop of ongoing globalization. Sustainable economic growth now depends largely on Hi-tech R&D base and efficient knowledge input. The new concept of IP based nation is gaining ground because it is Intellectual Property which enables technology creation and technology transfer by providing the necessary enabling environment. For these considerations Intellectual Property was mainstreamed in Pakistan in 2005. IP was brought under the limelight of public policy by simultaneously establishing IPO-Pakistan, empowering the Federal Investigation Authority (FIA) and activating Pakistan Customs against IPR violations. The Government decision to establish IPO-Pakistan was particularly aimed at addressing the institutional shortcomings that were impeding the effective management of intellectual property in Pakistan. The other two parallel decisions were aimed at strengthening IPR enforcement in the country. It is by definition an exponential change.

Wednesday 11 April 2012

Journalism and Religion: Breaking the Taboo


It’s an issue that affects people’s lives across the world everyday yet most media institutions do not dedicate much time, resources or manpower to covering religion. That was the assessment of some 25 journalists from six continents and 23 countries who gathered last month in Bellagio, Italy to lay down the foundations of an international association aimed not only at boosting the prominence and professionalism of religion reporting but also to emphasise the need for responsible journalism that can unite instead of divide people.

Media Freedom Still Threatened In OSCE

The United States’ greatest concern remains incidents of violence and intimidation against journalists within the OSCE region. 
Media freedom is still under threat in many member countries of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, or OSCE. That is the assessment of Ambassador to the U.S. Mission of the OSCE Ian Kelly.

Sherry Rehman given ministerial status



ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani on Wednesday conferred the status of Federal Minister on Excellency Ms. Sherry Rehman, Ambassador of Pakistan to USA.
The Cabinet Division has issued the notification in this regard Wednesday.
Ms. Sherry Rehman, former Information Minister was appointed Pakistan's ambassador to the United States of America on 23rd November last year.

Matt Lauer Tops List of Most Powerful People in News

Broadcast journalist Matt Lauer, who signed a new multi-million dollar deal last week to continue his hosting duties on the "Today" show, led The Hollywood Reporter list of the 35 Most Powerful People in Media.
The Hollywood Reporter talked with the veteran newsman about his former "Today" co-host Katie Couric, current co-host Ann Curry -- and life beyond "Today."Lauer told the Reporter he did talk with Couric about a possible reunion on TV. "I wasn't just wasting time. There's no crime in listening."
He also defended Couric's recent guest host spot on "Good Morning America." Lauer stated, "I was vocally not one of the people who thought it was wrong. I thought it was absolutely right. Katie hasn't been here for six years. She had a completely different stop in between at CBS. She's under contract at ABC News. She's one of the best morning hosts ever. Why wouldn't you use her on that show?"

Pakistani journalist: Durdana Ansari, OBE, takes time out for Karachi over a cup of tea

KARACHI: There are not many women who have had the opportunity to meet Mehdi Hasan, ask Dilip Kumar for directions, talk politics with Pervez Musharraf or watch Ismail Gulgee paint in his London apartment. Durdana Ansari has met them all, sat down with them over a cup of tea and discussed what makes them who they are.
While working for the BBC world service, she worked as a presenter, an assistant producer and producer. She has covered everything from art to current affairs – from truck artists to Afghan refugee camps to the 2008 earthquake rehabilitation camps in Islamabad.

Tuesday 10 April 2012

The future of journalism


BromeliaIn this paper, just delivered to a conference in London, Angela Phillips paints a picture of a media sector transforming itself in innovative and exciting ways, held back by failing business models.
Many myths are busted along the way: that journalism can be free, that user generated content brings down costs, that video is the way forward. So what's the future? Will the survival of journalism increasingly depend on us giving away our private data? Or will we embrace the alternative: a simple online system that would allow us to pay for the content we want?

Capital TV readies for test transmission









ISLAMABAD: The managers of Capital TV plan to launch their test transmission later this month and subsequently join the growing list of news channels, many of them fighting for survival.
Initially there were plans to run the project as a local channel from Islamabad on the lines of City 42 in Lahore. However, now its status will be that of a national news channel.
The channel is headed by Basit Sheikh, son of Ahmed Riaz Sheikh, a former official of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).
The administration, reportedly conducted interviews last month at its offices in Sector F-10 in Islamabad. Some staff has also been hired in Lahore.
Veteran journalist Nasir Malik, who once served Dawn and DawnNews will be the channel’s Director News.

What Are Basic Social Media Skills Journalists Need?

By now the consensus is that most journalists should “know how to use social media” in their day-to-day jobs.
But what does that really mean?
Here’s a short list of skills that I believe should be part of the basic social media skill set for a journalist today:

Firdous urges journalists to suggest ways for improvement

Sialkot—Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Dr. Firdous Ashiq Awan has stressed that journalists have the incumbent obligation to suggest ways to usher improvement in the society. Addressing the members of Sialkot Press Club (SPC), after inaugurating an IT lab and a newly renovated building of the press club here, Information Minister stressed that for the sake of improvement the journalists must forge unity and seek accountability of political leaders and institutions. On the occasion, the minister announced that a modern Iqbal Library would be set up at Sialkot Press Club, adding that an additional block would be constructed within the premises of the club.

She assured that sufficient funds would be generated for setting up the proposed library and work on this project would be undertaken in near future. Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan congratulated the newly elected office bears of Sialkot Electronic Media Association (SEMA) and announced a grant of Rs five lakh for the association.

Talking to media,Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan regretted that the political leadership of Sialkot had done very little to propagate and promote the message of Allam Iqbal among the masses, especially the younger generation. In this context, Dr. Firdous urged upon the journalist community of Sialkot to promote and disseminate the philosophy of Allama Iqbal.

Information Minister reiterated that its prime duty of journalists to highlight the problems of all sections of society, including minorities and women, and suggest measures to set things in the right direction. Dr Firdous appreciated that elections of Sialkot Press Club and Sialkot Electronic Media Association were held in accordance with democratic norms. Chairman SPC (Sialkot Press Club) Hamayun Iqbal Malik thanked the Federal Minister for Information for providing grant of Rs 25 lakh for the repair and renovation work of Sialkot Press Club building.

The newly elected President of Sialkot Electronic Media Association (SEMA) Khawaja Rehan Naseem presented the address of welcome and said that members of the association (SEMA) would play instrumental role in exposing problems of the masses. Earlier,the Information Minister administrated oath to the newly elected members SEMA. Earlier, talking to media men here after prize distribution ceremony of a school, Dr Firdous said the PPP-led government was taking various solid and practical steps to resolve the promlems of the people and providing them all basic facilities of life at their doorsteps to raise the living standard.

She urged the masses to reject the politicians, who changed their loyalties in the past for personal gains. The Information Minister said Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani had taken a big step to hold an energy conference of all the provinces, which would prove to be a milestone to resolve the energy crisis. Dr Firdous said the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) had always honoured the mandate of other political parties and adopted the policy of reconciliation to end confrontation. The PPP-led government has strengthened democracy and the democratic system by taking all political parties on board on all national issues, she added.

Earlier, addressing the annual prize distribution ceremony of Subhan Foundation School, the minister said the Federal Government would allocate huge amount in the budget for the welfare of the people and developing the education sector. She also underlined the need to formulate a uniform educational policy for providing equal opportunities to all.

Silent trend-setters

Once Karachi University comprised such clued-up and inspiring teachers in journalism as Professor Shariful Mujahid, Inam ur Rahman, Dr Sajid Zakaria and Mr Mohsin Ali, in the visiting faculty, who were not only assets for the university but were trend-setters of positive thinking and practice in journalism. Like teacher like student, Shahida Kazi, a KU student of journalism turned pioneer of a woman reporter with an illustrious background in media and a teacher and mentor of students in journalism, is still at work as a source of inspiration to media students and young professionals alike.

Among KU’s cherished assets are such noble and humble men of letters as Abul Khair Kashfi, Asif Noorani, Aslam Farrukhi, Farman Fatehpuri, Ghulam Mustafa Khan, Ibn-e-Insha, Muhammad Ali Siddiqui, Imran Nazar Hosein, Jameel Jalibi, Jamiluddin Aali, Manzoor Ahmad, Moinuddin Aqeel and others. While Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan, and Prof Dr Atta ur Rahman need no introduction as KU alumni being instrumental in Pakistan’s nuclear capability and higher education reforms respectively, Dr Khalida Ghous, Justice Saeed-uz-Zaman Siddiqi and Mr Muhammad Taqi Usmani are KU alumni of credibility in human rights, law and jurisprudence respectively. Remembering late Dr Mrs Khursheed Haider, late Dr Abdul Qadeer and late Dr Mujtaba Rizvi as KU’s distinguished faculty in international relations, one recalls of the same department the legendary Professor Dr Ehsan Chaudhry and Professor Shamim Akhtar. KU’s faculty in economics range from the academic excellence and research acumen of late Dr Ehsan Rasheed to the national and international credibility of Dr Shahida Wizarat.

Pakistan’s universities, whether it is Bahauddin Zakaria University, Multan; Islamia University Bahawalpur; Gomal University D I Khan; Punjab University, Balochistan University, Peshawar University, or for that matter, our medical and engineering colleges and others, quietly have such illustrious but humble alumni that need to be discovered as trend-setters for the youth. It is where discovering is the key to cherishing and benefiting from what may be called a reservoir of national strength.

PARVEZ JAMIL, Karachi, PakistanToday.

Journalists provide global prescription for fighting violence and impunity


LA JOLLA, US: An International Media in Danger workshop that brought together journalists working in dangerous situations around the world has concluded that effective government action, solidarity within the media and ethical coverage are the keys to confronting violence and impunity.
Jointly organised by the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA), ARTICLE 19 Mexico and Central America Office, and the Institute of the Americas, the March 26-29 event titled, "Different Worlds, Similar Threats", gathered 25 experienced journalists from 14 countries in La Jolla, California. The goal is to promote safe reporting and identify measures for reducing the violence and impunity affecting journalists in their respective regions.

Urgent need for government measures to protect journalists
Discussions revealed an urgent need for effective government measures to protect practicing journalists worldwide. "Today, in countries like Mexico, Honduras, Pakistan or Russia, journalists face actors and groups ready to kill them, in total impunity, simply for doing their job," said Cynthia Cárdenas, ARTICLE 19 Legal Programme officer. "Authorities in every country around the world are responsible for guaranteeing journalists' safety and for sanctioning those who attempt to curtail their freedom of expression."

In light of the current crisis in Mexico, where a wave of violence sparked by the conflict between organised crime and government forces has cost the lives of dozens of journalists since 2006, participants issued a call for more solidarity within the profession. "Mexican journalism is undergoing one of its darkest periods," said Rodrigo Bonilla, Press Freedom Missions manager at WAN-IFRA. "Effective mechanisms to promote solidarity and better protection for journalists are urgently needed and should be multiplied within and between each media outlet."

The presentations and workshops revealed that caution and responsibility are particularly important when exercising journalism in violent environments. "We succeeded in creating a space in which journalists were able to analyse the exercise of their profession," said Lynne Walker, vice president of the Institute of the Americas. "Participants understood that ethical practices and a higher degree of alertness are key practices that need to be promoted within each
newsroom."

Prominent journalists including Javier Darío Restrepo (Colombia), Marco Lara Klahr (Mexico), Umar Cheema (Pakistan) and Elena Milashina (Russia), attended a range of workshops that addressed safety, legal protection and information security. Delegates also met with journalists from ZETA weekly newspaper during a one-day visit to Tijuana, Mexico, to learn first-hand the dangers facing daily newsgathering in the country.

The "Different Worlds, Similar Threats" workshop was sponsored by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), Freedom House, USAID and the Latin American Development Bank.

More about WAN-IFRA's press freedom campaigns can be found at http://www.wan-ifra.org/pressfreedom.

ROVER’S DIARY: The good, the bad, and the ugly of television —Babar Ayaz


PTV was the pioneer television, not only in Pakistan, but also in South Asia, as India moved from their Delhi pilot project to spread its footprint only after 1971

Perhaps it would not be an exaggeration to say that a private television channels’ revolution has taken over the country. Pakistan is changing rapidly led by the electronic waves and will never be what it was at the turn of the 21st century.

Like all revolutions, this revolution also has the good, the bad and the ugly features. However, as the private television channels’ owners and employees mature, the bad and ugly features, one hopes, will fade to a certain extent. We have to be charitable, patient and acknowledge that the private TV channels have not yet entered their adolescence.

The young private channels have a lot to learn and desist from the arrogance that they are doing a great job. The publication of This is PTV, written by its former managing director, can give hundreds of private TV staffers a peep into the history of the first TV channel of the country and some lessons.

It is the first attempt to record the history of PTV, which has contributed a lot to society. But I must hasten to add that many a time, PTV failed the expectations of its viewers. PTV is a mixed bag of good and not so good. The good thing is that Agha Nasir has candidly recorded its failures that in the final analysis point the finger to its owners, the successive governments. I will come to that a bit later.

PTV was the pioneer television, not only in Pakistan, but also in South Asia, as India moved from their Delhi pilot project to spread its footprint only after 1971. Started by a young starry-eyed team, which had no previous experience of television, it made tremendous contributions, particularly in the field of drama, music, and quiz programmes to spread general knowledge. It produced wonderful documentaries and created a vast pool of technical staff, which helped in the setting up of a majority of TV channels once the private sector was allowed in this business. The book briefly records the achievements of PTV in all these areas and adequately pays tribute to all the pioneers.

Agha Nasir has documented that Prime Minister Bogra, who “mentioned the magic of the television at private gatherings”, first used the word television, according to the book. He was exposed to this magic because of his last posting as Pakistan’s Ambassador to the US in the early 1950s.

However, the idea was adopted in 1958 by Ayub Khan’s regime. According to This is PTV, the basic objectives for television were laid down in the Education Reform Commission. These objectives were: “Television could help social science students get firsthand information about the geographic, economic and social conditions; it could contribute directly to development programmes in industrial and agriculture sectors.”

However, once PTV was established, the government realised that it could be used as a propaganda tool. That is where it earned a bad perception. Agha Nasir has taken stock of this in the chapter of his book titled “Who calls the shots”. He has recorded how each ruler from General Ayub Khan to General Pervez Musharraf called the shots through their information secretaries and other minions in the bureaucracy. The negative perception about PTV is mostly on account of its news and current affairs programmes. Agha Nasir has also expressed similar views while discussing this segment. He has not shied away from saying that Khabarnama was thus nicknamed as ‘Wazirnama’.

At least on two occasions I am witness to this fact. Once there was a discussion on improving Khabarnama, held by the then Information Minister, Mushahid Husain and Javed Jabbar. My view in these meetings was that as long as PTV was forced to give daily coverage to the president, prime minister and chief ministers’ activities in Khabarnama and for the rest of the time there was a scramble between PROs of various ministers, no improvement could be made to the PTV news. The PTV management was so bureaucratic that even good employees in the current affairs section were afraid of sticking their necks out, as people were suspended, if not chucked out, when something against the government went on air.

However, I would admit that talk shows and news have slightly improved only because of tough competition from the private sector channels. Here I am reminded of an ironic incident. Murtaza Bhutto’s assassination in Karachi was reported by PTV in their midnight bulletin as the last news before the sports. The newscaster said that according to BBC, Bhutto was killed in a shootout with the police in Karachi. Media historian and critic Zamir Niazi rang me up the following day and said, “What kind of journalism is that? Chalo chulloo bhar pani mey doob marain” (Let us go and commit suicide in a cup of water).

My view is that in any society, many a time right things happen for the wrong reasons. Much credit is given to Musharraf for opening up the electronic media to the private sector. Nevertheless, three important factors are often not mentioned. One: by the time Musharraf came into power, former prime minister Benazir Bhutto had already allowed the first private entertainment channel STN, which sold its time to NTM. Two: the satellite TV technology had broken all censorship barriers and people who could afford to were already accessing the international channels, including the Indian channels. Three: Musharraf allowed the first private channel ‘Indus’ because he felt that PTV lost against the Indian propaganda to give coverage to his ‘stupid’ Kargil adventure. Interestingly, according to David Page and William Crawley’s book Satellite over South Asia, Indira Gandhi allowed expansion of Doordarshan in 1972 because she was aware of PTVs reach across the Wagah border and in India-Kashmir during the 1971 war. This was 13 years after experimental TV was established in Delhi in 1959.

On the positive side it can be recorded that the state-supported PTV has been able to do many programmes that are necessary for information and are not dictated by the commercialisation of media where brand managers and marketing department dictate. That is what a public service television is supposed to do and that is why they are supported through subsidies like TV licence fee, etc, by many countries including the UK, where the BBC is a fine example. However, when governments start using the channels for their own propaganda and do not allow editorial freedom, they lose their credibility and even truth is perceived as a lie.

The importance of PTV as a public service channel cannot be undermined, particularly when this post-modernism medium in the private sectors is contributing to what leading social scientist John Fiske calls fragmentation of experience and its images. He has underlined that, “Fragmentation overpowers any attempt to provide coherence within the sequence.” It is indeed a subject that needs research on the influence of the mass media explosion on our society.

While Mr Agha has narrated many instances where the rulers dictated the policies that damaged editorial independence ultimately, in some places because of his long association with the institution he is quite charitable. However, for journalists and students of mass media communications it is an important book, because it records the first hand history written by an insider.

The writer can be reached at ayazbabar@gmail.com