Journalism Pakistan
Journalism Pakistan
Freedom of expression shrinks in Pakistan as PECA Amendments take toll: report اظہارِ رائے کی آزادی محدود، پیکا میں ترامیم سے میڈیا کو شدید دھچکا: رپورٹDawn urges Indian media to abandon war rhetoric ڈان کی بھارتی میڈیا سے جنگی بیانیہ ترک کرنے کی اپیلIndia bans 16 Pakistani YouTube channels following Pahalgan attack پہلگام حملے کے بعد بھارت نے پاکستان کے 16 یوٹیوب چینلز پر پابندی لگا دی'In A Different Realm' offers a philosophical take on cricket's greatest innings ان اے ڈیفرنٹ ریلم کرکٹ کی عظیم ترین اننگز پر ایک فکری نقطۂ نظر پیش کرتی ہےCoordinated or coincidence? Identical tweets by Pakistani journalists raise eyebrows ہم آہنگی یا محض اتفاق؟ پاکستانی صحافیوں کے ایک جیسے ٹویٹس نے سوالات اٹھا دیےThe PSL paradox: pageantry or progress? پی ایس ایل کا تضاد: دکھاوا یا ترقی؟Sher Afzal Marwat launches personal attacks on journalists after PTI expulsion پی ٹی آئی سے نکالے جانے کے بعد شیر افضل مروت کے صحافیوں پر ذاتی حملےJournalist Sanaullah Khan alleges FIA blocking accounts of YouTubers and families صحافی ثناء اللہ خان کا انکشاف: ایف آئی اے یوٹیوبرز اور ان کے خاندانوں کے اکاؤنٹس بلاک کر رہی ہےA launch in style: Dr. Nauman Niaz unveils 'In A Different Realm' ان اے ڈفرنٹ ریلم کی رونمائی: ڈاکٹر نعمان نیاز کی کتاب Sindhi journalist AD Shar brutally murdered, PFUJ declares three-day mourning سندھی صحافی اے ڈی شر کا بہیمانہ قتل، پی ایف یو جے نے تین روزہ سوگ کا اعلان کر دیاAJK government registers case against newspaper and staff آزاد کشمیر حکومت کا اخبار اور عملے کے خلاف مقدمہJournalist Arzoo Kazmi alleges FIA threats, possible arrest over reporting صحافی آرزو کاظمی کا دعویٰ: ایف آئی اے کی دھمکیاں، رپورٹنگ پر ممکنہ گرفتاری

Newspapers as Ibne Insha saw them

 JournalismPakistan.com |  Published August 05, 2012 |  Daud Malik

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Newspapers as Ibne Insha saw them

The media in Pakistan has become a cause of concern. Its spread and surge is giving headaches to everyone, including journalists themselves.

 

Everybody these days is offering solutions to improve the standards of journalism, with buzzwords like ‘ethics’, ‘code of conduct’, and ‘capacity-building’ flying around.  Foreign experts have descended upon us with their ‘high standards’ to talk about what ails media in Pakistan.

 

It seems suddenly the media has unlearnt everything it practiced in the last 60 years. Now the experts are telling us there is need for building the ‘capacity’ of new ‘young entrants’ into the field of journalism, along with opportunities for ‘exposure’ (in other words workshops, seminars, roundtables etc. in five star hotels; and paid trips outside Pakistan – no harm in that).

 

However, it is another matter that media has seldom changed its spots - surprising and shocking us with new antics like showing conversions live, or closing down newspapers without prior notice, making many jobless in minutes.

 

But these are not new issues. People had always realized the power of the media and how to deal with it their own subtle and smiling ways. One of them was Ibne Insha – the incomparable satirist and poet.

 

Way back in 1971 Ibne Insha’s masterpiece Urdu ki Akhari Kitab – one of the finest examples of satire in Urdu – subtly poked fun at everybody – politicians, religious scholars, historians, and yes the media.

 

The poem – Ikhbar (newspaper) – in question-answer form lightly shows all that is wrong with media even today. Fully understanding that it’s a business venture, the poem opens on a realistic note: 

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The newspapers have use for everyone. They are part of our lives whether we want them or not. From the publicity for the politician to becoming virtually a lifafa (not that other lifafa) for various uses, the newspapers continue to remind us of their presence:

 

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But media is risky business. If on the one hand, like the TV channels today, media promises to be the solution of all problems afflicting the people, it has to be mindful of the ‘authorities’ ‘rules’ and ‘procedures’. Media may present itself as a ‘crusader’ on a mission of finding out ‘truth’, but it has its limitations, both administrative and financial. Pakistan’s history is full of incidents where the newspapers which did not toe official policies were closed down.

 

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But despite all problems and risks and alive to the needs of media business, Ibne Insha wants some respectability and professionalism.

 

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Today Pakistan’s media is far from perfect. Its lapses are alarming us and that is why we tend to come up with ‘strategies’ and ‘mitigation plans’ (that is to address issues).  But sometimes instead of offering serious solutions, we may enjoy its eccentricities, just like Ibne Insha did many years ago.

 

 (The writer is a senior journalist who has worked for The News and Dawn)

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