Privacy issues and the media
The role of the media regarding the matrimonial issues of politicians has received a mixed response in bureaucratic circles. To witness such debate among bureaucrats on the role of the media, and how it covers the personal issues of politicians, is quite interesting. Some appear to discuss such rumours, including those on the secret marriages of some politicians, just to dilute the heat created by Memogate. Some bureaucrats vehemently criticise the role of the media in bringing to light such things and say that this is done with an ulterior motive: to tarnish certain politicians who may be out of favour ...
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Media matters
It seems all that the media can seem to cover is the so-called memogate case and issues related to it. For example, for the past two-three days headlines on news channels have been dominated by speculation regarding whether Mansoor Ijaz will come, or not come, to Pakistan to testify before the commission set up by the Supreme Court to investigate the authenticity of the memo. Surely, there must be other issues for the media to cover. After all, one can argue that how does the issue of the memo affect the lives of ordinary Pakistanis who are finding it increasingly ...
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Video Blog: Voices from Pakistan
The international media has always shown Pakistani people reacting and protesting on TV screens, with the opinions of these people expressed in minimal headlines, skimmed and forgotten. Behind each of these headlines, are real people, with real issues and perspectives. This documentary explores the diverse spectrum of perspectives among Pakistanis, up close and personal, detailing the conflicts of opinions between them over various issues, in particular, the Facebook related blasphemy incident (also known as Draw Prophet Muhammad Day) which resulted in Pakistan’s authorities blocking major websites. The documentary goes beyond just that incident and touches other international issues too that cause ...
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Mideast peace process: Hampered throughout history
The Hamas-Fatah reconciliation deal that concluded on April 27, 2011, was a good omen for the stalled Palestine peace process. Both factions displayed commitment to resolve the outstanding issues and reached an agreement on forming an interim government for holding of legislative and presidential elections. But the news of the resignation of George Mitchell as US Envoy in Middle East dashed the hopes of any progress on the peace front. Mitchell enjoyed the reputation of being a “tireless advocate” of peace, but his extraordinary skills failed in the face of Israeli obduracy. A few days ago, US President Barrack ...
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Editor’s life: Chopping block
In the course of my daily work, I have to do considerable amounts of editing. This involves not only deleting material, but also at times massively chopping it. This is done primarily for reasons of space, word count issues and sometimes policy as well. The idea is to make what appears in print clear and easy to read, and with no punctuation or spelling errors. I would categorise my editing process into five distinct phases. Denial: Having to cut a 1,000-word press release down to a 70-word brief? I’ll grow old editing this, I tell myself. Maybe if I just ...
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Nationalising culture: A broader perspective
Historically, February is a month of kite-flying in the cultural capital of Pakistan. Basant supporters mark the event as a hallmark of Punjabi culture. By playing up the Punjabi culture aspect, their motivation has been to circumvent the religious connotation attached to it by those who see it, among many things, as a ‘yalgar’ of Hindu values meant to corrupt Muslims. Another thing February is known for is Valentine’s Day. That too has supporters who see it as a manifestation of love and festivity. For the rest, it’s a part of the ‘devil’s plan’ to lead as many souls to ...
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The colourful world of comments
“Don’t you have anything better to write about?” is the response you get when you do a story that does not cover pressing issues or one that would be ‘making a difference’. If you do get a story on topics along the lines of corruption, rape or violence, the reaction you get is, “Stop maligning the name of the country! What will others think when they read this?” Working for The Express Tribune Web Desk, I have come across a very diverse group of comments – everyone seems to have something to say, whether you like it or not. There are the ‘something ...
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Islamabad Dateline: New paper on the block
The already saturated print market is to see the launch of yet another newspaper. The editor of upcoming paper, Islamabad Dateline tells me that the paper will begin distribution early next year (they have already begun dummy runs). But, I am curious to see if a city paper will be able to compete with existing national dailies. As a new entrant into the media industry, who is perhaps not old enough to resist innovation, I think Islamabad Dateline has two points in its favour: sixteen pages of localised content and the fact that it will be published six days a ...
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