UK plans social media ban for under-16s Supreme Court shutters press room amid backlash Pele to Messi: How World Cup finals wrote football's greatest story Press freedom review: From jail cells to cyberspace, threats to journalists multiply The right to know: Comparing access-to-information laws across Asia Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT): How journalists verify information in the digital age Ethiopia expels French journalist after Tigray reporting Kane Williamson retires: The end of an era Javeria Siddique alleges cross-border smear campaign The JournalismPakistan Global Media Brief | Edition 24 | June 12, 2026 Four journalist legal cases, one death threat recorded in May Nahid Rana: Bangladesh's 152km/h fast-bowling force Global Fact-Checking Awards finalists spotlight AI misinformation fight Israel deports French journalist over West Bank reporting concerns World Cup hydration breaks open a new ad revenue stream UK plans social media ban for under-16s Supreme Court shutters press room amid backlash Pele to Messi: How World Cup finals wrote football's greatest story Press freedom review: From jail cells to cyberspace, threats to journalists multiply The right to know: Comparing access-to-information laws across Asia Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT): How journalists verify information in the digital age Ethiopia expels French journalist after Tigray reporting Kane Williamson retires: The end of an era Javeria Siddique alleges cross-border smear campaign The JournalismPakistan Global Media Brief | Edition 24 | June 12, 2026 Four journalist legal cases, one death threat recorded in May Nahid Rana: Bangladesh's 152km/h fast-bowling force Global Fact-Checking Awards finalists spotlight AI misinformation fight Israel deports French journalist over West Bank reporting concerns World Cup hydration breaks open a new ad revenue stream
Logo
Janu
Asia

Journalists' tweets get bitter as election nears

 JournalismPakistan.com |  Published: 21 July 2018

Join our WhatsApp channel

Journalists' tweets get bitter as election nears
With the election nearing, tensions among journalists are rising on Twitter. Personal attacks and accusations of foreign influence are becoming more common.

ISLAMABAD - As the journalists have taken sides in the election fray, their tweets are also getting bitter - calling each other names and labelling others agents of the foreign masters and dictators.

Matiullah Jan (pictured), host of talk show Apna Apna Gareban, on Saturday, called Irshad Bhatti, who appears as an analyst in talk shows daily, a “tout of dictatorship”.

No stranger to controversies, Mati’s tweet was in response to Bhatti’s in which he is cursing and berating the quality of democracy in Pakistan, in a video clip.

Mati’s tweet in Urdu added that the 'tout' badmouths democracy and supremacy of constitution on TV but never talks against the military rulers in Pakistan.

Photo courtesy: Daily Pakistan

Key Points

  • Journalists are increasingly taking sides as elections approach.
  • Accusations of being agents of foreign powers are rampant on social media.
  • Matiullah Jan criticized Irshad Bhatti's stance on democracy on Twitter.
  • Debates over the quality of democracy in Pakistan are intensifying.
  • Personal attacks among journalists are becoming more frequent.

Ask AI: Understand this story your way

AI Enabled

Dig deeper, ask anything — get instant context, background, and clarity.

Not sure what to choose? Try one of these.

The AI generates results based on your selected options
Your AI-generated results will appear here after you click the button.

Disclaimer: This feature is powered by AI and is intended to help readers explore and understand news stories more easily. While we strive for accuracy, AI-generated responses may occasionally be incomplete or reflect limitations in the underlying model. This feature does not represent the editorial views of JournalismPakistan. For our full, verified reporting, please refer to the original article.

Dive Deeper

Supreme Court shutters press room amid backlash

Supreme Court shutters press room amid backlash

 June 15, 2026: Pakistan's Supreme Court shuttered its longstanding press room and tightened access for court reporters, drawing criticism from journalists and raising transparency concerns.

GNN journalist reported missing in Islamabad

GNN journalist reported missing in Islamabad

 June 07, 2026: GNN journalist Yasir Ayaz Khan has been reported missing in Islamabad after leaving home around 5 pm on June 5; the channel filed a complaint, and police have opened a probe.

Newsroom
UK plans social media ban for under-16s

UK plans social media ban for under-16s

 June 15, 2026 UK plans to ban under-16s from major social media like TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and X under new online safety rules, officials say, to protect children.


Pele to Messi: How World Cup finals wrote football's greatest story

Pele to Messi: How World Cup finals wrote football's greatest story

 June 15, 2026 From Pele to Messi, World Cup finals shaped football's global story, tracing triumphs and heartbreaks and showing how the game became a shared language.


Press freedom review: From jail cells to cyberspace, threats to journalists multiply

Press freedom review: From jail cells to cyberspace, threats to journalists multiply

 June 14, 2026 Press freedom faces mounting challenges worldwide as journalists confront arrests, legal pressure, cyberattacks, online harassment, deportations, and reporting restrictions across multiple countries.


The right to know: Comparing access-to-information laws across Asia

The right to know: Comparing access-to-information laws across Asia

 June 14, 2026 Across Asia, RTI laws range from effective tools for journalism and accountability to paper laws weakened by bureaucracy, broad exemptions and poor enforcement.


Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT): How journalists verify information in the digital age

Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT): How journalists verify information in the digital age

 June 14, 2026 OSINT helps journalists verify social media, photos, videos, maps and public records to improve reporting accuracy and detect misinformation.


Popular Stories