Journalists reporting on the ongoing violence in the North West Frontier Province have once again been caught in the crossfire. On Tuesday, a Peshawar-based journalist reporting on military operations in Buner was detained by a state intelligence agency. The following day two of his colleagues who visited the agency’s office to inquire about him were also held, according to reports circulated by the Asian Human Rights Commission.
On Tuesday, media outlets also received pamphlets from the Swat Taliban warning them to ‘mend their ways’ and threatening action against those who didn’t desist from following an ‘anti-Taliban agenda’.
In the current climate of ongoing violence in NWFP what can be done to keep journalists safe? What role should news organisations be playing in combat zones?
Democracy or free press dosen’t mean you should poke anyone.
I tend to endorse the spirit of your stance to emphasize on civilian and military leadership.
The top positions call for thorough critical evaluation of both favourable and adverse feed-backs,before issuing a verdict as knee jerk reactions are never helpful.
Another prerequiste for top leadership is to have guts and nerves to accept objective realities, at the earliest and undertake corrective measures,rather timely before it’s too late.This can be only ensured through freedom of speech and not actions like the one in Buner,reported by Human Rights Commission of Pakistan
There is no perfect solution to resolving conflict of interest issues with profit based news reporting. The media owner wants you to watch just the commercials. The news is just the bait. News media take on the personality of their board of directors or private owners. So is there a possible fix?
If people have relatively more trust in a publicly funded INDEPENDANT judiciary, why not extend this logic to funding an independant news service with firewall protection from government interference?
The problem is that neither big business or governments wish this misery upon themselves. It’s bad for politics and business and as Americans keep insisting, communist threat! The population needs to be sheltered from the bitter pill that is the truth.
Everyone who is anyone is hysterical about Taliban. The US Drone attacks tell loudly that Pakistan’s territorial integrity has been quietly undermined with the connivance of the Government and Pakistan Army. The Americans have not learned from their adventure in Vietnam. Vietnames people defeated US Army. The propaganda machine at that time spoke of Vietcong terrorists whom US Army was at loggerheads. Today US is fighting Pakistanis not Alqaida or Taliban. When will the US learn?
Freedom of speech vs lack of back bone!
That is what Pakstani’s problem!
Taleban has imposed jizya (a completley outdated discriminatory tax that should have no place in a self resepcting nation in 21st century) on non-muslim Pakistanis in the recently sharia implelemeted areas of Pakistan, and we are yet to see national outrage and debate, let alone an orechestrated public opinion forming initiative from any national figure.
Ofcourse one can see, national prime time is more devoted to the discussion on the plight og muslims in Palestine!
The more and more you see it, the solution to Pakistan’s problem lies in embracing completely secular democracy and separating religion from state, as envisaged by nation’s founding father.
Without foing for it, the future of nation is bleak!
There has to be balance of media freedom of press and the safety of the soldiers. the 3rd world countries have zero respect for the soldiers and military while developed nations herald their soldiers sacrifices.
giving away positions is signing a death warrant on those soldiers. and the media here is not responsible enough to avoid that.
Dear Proud Pakistani,
If you ignore injustice then it’s your turn next.
You say its dose not bother you. It is not simply injustice friend, it is the life of your own national in you own nation, an innocent Pakistani! Please don’t tell that they were not you or your relatives. If such things continues then who knows.
Journalists are human beings and they too may be as biased as you and I are. New channels are business enterprises. They too have to ensure revenue so that they can telecast them to you and ensure appropriate returns to the various stake holders too.
Let them speak and show what ever they have. Listen to various channels and also go through various talk shows and discussions too. This will help you in getting the fact and the prospective too.
Various journalists and new channels, despite being very biased, had greatly contributed to the development and evolution of our democracy. Our leaders and civil service officers can not afford to remain in denial. The channels had exposed corruptions, lawlessness and many other evil of the society.
Their contribution is unparallel.
If militants or the army are threatening or killing them, it is oblivious that they are involved in unlawful activities. The media and the people of Pakistan should take note and hit back through media and through democratic means.
Regards,
“If I’d written all the truth I knew for the past ten years, about 600 people — including me — would be rotting in prison cells from Rio to Seattle today. Absolute truth is a very rare and dangerous commodity in the context of professional journalism.”
— Hunter S. Thompson
media & specially electronic media in Pakistan is still not properly mature. In a race to be the first, accuracy and truth is compromised. More damaging had been the immature analysis through totally unaware people. For instance, the violence of Talabans, Lal Masjid and other issues of national importance were handled very immaturely. Our media has been the innocent source of the extremists and terrorist propaganda tool.
Media has a serious role to play which is much higher than doing business and making money. If this country is not there they too will pack. Please do not remove these comments and prove to the world that you have the patience to listen to others point of view.
Pakistani electronic media is still very immature and has done quite a lot of damage to national unity, acted as a force multiplier of Talabans and other violen groups and most of the time time it has left a bitter taste in the mouth of it audience.
I agree with Larry. In armed conflict all involved parties commit atrocities they wish to cover up, all while presenting the most “positive” perspective of their “righteous war”.
The pakistani governmental structure is simply not geared to handle a population exposed to the truth, were it come out, and they employ a variety of coercive means to control the information.
The only difference between them and the Taliban is that the Taliban are hilltop barbarians and their media savvy is of the same order. They are a bunch of bandits who can only survive by threatening and subduing the people with violence. It is only natural that they extend this medieval method to their attempts at controlling their media.
A free media is free from ALL.
Larry, what defines an enemy journalist? the one who sits with the enemy in close proximity and then gets killed as a by-stander?
I applaud the Americans for allowing their journalist to ride along the battlefields. after all it was these very same journalist that were the catalyst for bush’s low approval ratings in the public eye. Cause and effect- republican politicians took heavy losses in the elections.
I found in Pakistan there is too much liberty given to press. and most journalists have there own agenda other than sincerity to the country.
I totally agree with you larry. Here in America press is controlled by the state, but very smartly.
That warning seems to be a false flag operation, blame it on enemy and get your advantage. Simple.
Since Pakistan boasts of the drone technology, why doesnt it send drones equipped with high powered cameras over Buner. The journalists must be taught how to operate them and can give live commentaries while the drones are linking live to the troubled areas. Why aren’t journo lives as important as soldiers?
No doubt the journalist job in war zone is very difficult and a very careful and full of technique reporting is required. The opinion of Army about any news can be taken from ISPR and the point of view of opponents can be reported from their resources. If both point of view can be reported then it can save the reporter, to some extant. The other way is that all news about these areas can be reported under central system like from staff reporter or political way can be adopted like some sources said this other sources said that , we trying to find truth and asking the official sources for confirmation.
So journalists should invent the techniques to save them selves and never be a party in any news. Allah Al-mighty save and help all true journalists.
Keeping country and national interest is the moral obligation however.
Journalists huhn, to tell you the truth I don’t think these Pakistani journalists are for the country. They are only for money and after ridiculous reports. All you hear is the same old news.. 50 died here.. 25 died there. Isn’t this getting old. I mean to tell you the truth it doesnt even feel bad anymore, when you here these stories about causalties. We have thousands of journalist covering the same story, but no one is covering the root cause of the issue. Who is providing the talibans with weapons and technology? Who is behind this issue? Who is providing them with financial assistant? This is not rocket science, a news team needs to do a research on it and create a team of professionals, who can carry out this project. They need to dig out who is behind this ridiculous menace. Pakistani media wanted freedom, but now when they achieved it they don’t know what to do with it. Dawn represents Quaid-e-Azam, so I believe you guys need to cover this story. Anybody, doesn’t matter what news agency you are with. Its your duty to provide the nation with the correct and useful information. May Allah bless us all and may He guide us to the right path. Ameen
The Taliban and the Intelligence establishment agencies (the ISI, the MI etc.) are the two sides of the same coin.
Both do not want the world to know what is happening in this big jail called Pakistan.
Please remember that the whole Jihadi Movement (the Seven Gangs of the so-called Mujahideen, and then the Taliban ) were the joint creation of the American CIA and Pakistani ISI: the Mujahideen to kill the “commies” and the Enlightened of the region,…. and the Taliban to become a permanent pain in the neck of the Revolutionary Iran.
That my country, the USA, started confronting unanticipated results is irrelevant here. That is the ‘fun’ of the Nature’s or God’s invisible laws. Things do not always happen as the tyrants or the pious wish.
Journalists all over the world are hounded by intelligence agencies and Pakistan is not a different case. It is unfortunate that security agencies try to curb the voice of journalists who are determined to speak the truth and in many cases journalists have laid down their lives in the line of duty. What is wrong with the intelligence agencies when journalists report matters to their respective newspapers and TV channels with truth. Journalism is knows as the fourth pillar of the State and if intelligence agencies try to break the fourth pillar, how can a State stand on its own feet without having fourth leg?
To my understanding, their organizations are more responsible for threats to their security than anyone else.
Why they dont take anonymous reports from their journalists instead of showing their faces, names and than asking questions which in live TV reporting which needs them to show their opinion on such kind of objective reporting. let alone the bullet proof jacket, proper training or life and health insurance.
The safety of these brave people should be protected specially when all of us by now know than none of those part of this conflict have any respect for free speech and have no ethics
Another common perception regarding embedded journalism in Iraq war is that the media was so looking forward to the war to boost their ratings that question regarding the rationale behind the war and the prewar secret discussions which came out later were not covered at the time it was needed for constructive critisism.
The embedded journalists mainly covered sensational events. But that is important tooand needs to be covered.
I say any coverage is better than no coverage.
I can only suspect that the journalists’ desire to play god is a tragedy and sometimes draws anger from those who can inflict harm.
Journalists need to be objective and report facts. Opinion is for the readers to make based on the facts.
Bunch of very irresponsible people.I dont mind blaming them for most of the problems this country is facing.In the fore front are two leading Irdi TV channels that never let any opportunity go to put oil on the fire.
Journalists “embedded” with American troops as the Iraq invasion began were shown what the government wanted them to see, for propaganda purposes back home. “Enemy” journalists were shelled in their hotel rooms. No one is safe in a war zone. Objective reporting can get you killed by either side.