Journalism Pakistan
Journalism Pakistan
PFUJ to IHC: PECA Law must be suspended to protect journalismHum News leads the way: First Pakistani channel to embrace AI toolsEnhancing trauma reporting: Dart Center Ochberg Fellowship 2025Youm-e-Tameer-o-Taraqi or Youm-e-Tabahi? Government spends millions on self-congratulatory adsBlogger killed, editor missing as Mozambique's press freedom crisis deepensPTV pensioners continue protests over unpaid dues and medical facilitiesWill PECA 2025 law be repealed? PFUJ begins a legal battleDefying threats: Munizae Jahangir's story reveals what it costs to be a woman journalist in PakistanIndia revokes nonprofit and tax status of news outletsUkraine's security service opens criminal case after Ukrainska Pravda reportTwo Cambodian journalists detained over cyber scam torture videoThe Olympic Games: A timeless testament to human excellence and unity

Four reasons not to watch the news

 JournalismPakistan.com |  Published September 13, 2019 |  Steve Manuel

Join our WhatsApp channel

Four reasons not to watch the news

Watching the local news channels these days is turning out to be an exercise in extreme restraint. At the forefront are four main factors to blame, and each of them become so overwhelming that one would instead turn off the television than suffer some mental or nervous breakdown.

Excessive repetition is at the very top of my four peeves, followed by the frequent butchering of the Urdu language. The usage of foreign words, specifically Hindi, comes third while the extreme usage of meaningless, insensitive animation bookends my displeasure.

All the above have been getting under my skin for a while, so I’m going to break down the issues identified to make it easier for readers to understand my rant.

Repetition: Let’s start with the excessive use of reports and packages that contain looped footage. In other words, repetition within repetition. Given that there can indeed be slow news days, but that doesn’t mean that these channels have to bore their viewers to death by broadcasting the same news reports hourly for the next 12 hours and that too in their original form.

It takes only a few minutes and a little initiative to change those flogged-to-death news reports into a reasonably bearable OOV/Voice Overs lasting 20 to 30 seconds. But laziness, lack of confidence and, sometimes, incompetence gets in the way.

With the continued state of the report and same place usage in the hourly bulletin, the viewer can be forgiven for thinking that he or she is trapped in a time warp.

The usage of looped footage makes this specific malady even worse. It is the job of the cameraperson to produce plenty of useable footage, including relief footage, cutaways, etc. It is also the job of the producer to ensure the report stays tight, i.e. is well written, has good unrepeated footage, and is reasonably newsworthy to have life-lasting several hours.

So obviously there is a need for unclouded decision making on the part of the producer/director to ensure the bulletin does not lose its sharpness and newsworthiness. Repetition usually means both those gents are sitting with their thumbs up where the sun don’t shine, drinking tea and shooting the breeze with their office cronies.

The run-down is not sacred, nor are its contents. Both can be changed.

It simply boggles the mind that there are so many options to make the bulletin different from what it was the hour before, and yet nobody moves a finger.

Butchering Urdu: As the former head of the current affairs/news desk of two television channels, I’m dismayed by the caliber of the reporters, newscasters and anchors and their constant mangling of the Urdu language.

Now, I’m not a doyen of Urdu, nor do I pretend to be one, English being my forte followed by Punjabi as the language I feel most comfortable with. In other words, I speak Urdu with a decidedly ‘tuggah’ accent. I will submit, however, that over the years my Urdu has gotten exponentially better. Nonetheless, this does not make me an expert.

In the 31 years of married life, my wife Naila, whose Urdu is impeccable, has managed to tame my “tuggah-ness”. Because of this long-term ongoing education, I’m now better equipped to understand the nuances of better spoken/delivered Urdu.

I have come to love the language. It is courteous, civilized, classy, stylish, has great depth, and is wonderfully expressive.

Therefore, when I hear reporters, anchors, newscasters pronounce a simple word like “behtereen” as “Bhethreen” it absolutely gets my goat. Of course, there are many other words that come to mind, but this is the one that bugs me. Also, the inability to pronounce ‘khuh’ from the back of the throat and to give it a decidedly anglicized ‘khh’ is becoming more and more common.

I have also noticed reporters and anchors pronouncing a ‘zuh’ sound like a ‘juh’. For example, zubaan being pronounced as jubaan. Give me a break!

The biggest culprits of such butchering come, unsurprisingly, from those that take great pride in their ability to speak Urdu…reporters, etc. based in Karachi.

Foreign words and mannerisms: The above observations act as a bridge to my next peeve…the constant use/misuse of foreign words by reporters and anchors as well mannerisms that are decidedly un-Pakistani.

On any given day, put on the news, and you will invariably come across a reporter/anchor who is trying to be cute by using words that don’t fit. There are those who have a terrible time trying to use words in English or technical terms in English. Their struggle is almost painful to watch.

Stop! Don’t do it.

When Urdu is so rich in expression, bloody well use it. Flaunt it. Be proud of it. Find an alternative that is both comfortable and practical and use it. If at all an English or foreign language word is used to shore up a sentence or explain it better, then for God’s sake it is the job of the producer/director/news head to ensure that word is pronounced correctly. Don’t destroy it and become a laughing stock at the same time.

But even that I’m ready to forgive and overlook, painful and embarrassing as it may be.

What I absolutely cannot make excuses for or condone is the excessive usage of Hindi words and expressions that have steadily crept into reports, packages, and even OOV/Voice-overs.

How degrading is that?

After 70 years plus of independence, this newfound urge to suddenly fall back on that what our forefathers fought too hard to get away from, is unforgiveable, incomprehensible. It is an insult to them and all they stood for.

What compounds this specific malady further is that a lot of the anchors, newscasters, and reporters have started fashioning their delivery style on the pattern of their Indian counterparts, shouting hysterically, being overdramatic and stretching out words while prancing and jumping about the place as if they’d just stepped on a live electric wire. Simply pathetic.

Why not be dignified. Be proud of who and what you are. Be Pakistani.

When our music is so different and has a character all its own, then why the eff can’t the media mold their character?

And lastly,

Mindless animation: Ever since news channels started using animated illustrations to shore up their reports, they have steadily sunk to the very depths of mediocrity, callousness, ridiculousness, absurdity, and downright insensitiveness.

There have been times that one has cringed at the mindless animated creativity (or lack thereof) that frequently explodes across one corner or top of the screen.

Serious news reports cannot be supported by tongue-in-cheek animation that is childish or insensitive. For example, you cannot have, and there have been, animations that have dismayed viewers when natural catastrophes like floods, fires, and earthquakes have occurred. Death and pain are involved in all these manifestations. They have to be handled and broadcast with the utmost care and sensitivity.

You cannot have a huge animated Tsunami drowning out scurrying animated figures, or animated earthquakes that have mountains consuming villages and quivering like jello in one corner of the screen or animated fires that flicker across the bottom of the TV.

Worst of all, you cannot have animated suicide bombers setting themselves off or explosions taking place to depict actual death and suffering.

Have a heart.

Have respect.

Have some sense.

Recycled guests and repeated narratives: The talk show problem in Pakistan

Recycled guests and repeated narratives: The talk show problem in Pakistan

 September 07, 2024:  Pakistani media is under fire for its lack of investigative reporting, political influence, and censorship. With talk shows becoming monotonous and biased, the public is turning to digital platforms for real news. Read on to learn how Pakistani journalism is failing its people.

Censorship and career: Working as a journalist in the UAE

Censorship and career: Working as a journalist in the UAE

 July 11, 2024:  Explore the challenges and opportunities expat journalists face in the UAE, with insights from Imran Naeem Ahmad, a former Gulf News journalist. Discover the impact of censorship, career prospects, and the reality of working for leading newspapers like Khaleej Times and Gulf News in Dubai.

The invisible hand: How censorship shapes Pakistani journalism today

The invisible hand: How censorship shapes Pakistani journalism today

 July 09, 2024:  Explore the profound impact of censorship on Pakistani journalism. Delve into the challenges faced by journalists, the erosion of press freedom, and broader societal implications in a country grappling with media restrictions and government control.

Why local journalism matters more than ever in a globalized world

Why local journalism matters more than ever in a globalized world

 July 08, 2024:  Discover the critical role of local news in a globalized world and how grassroots journalism empowers communities, ensures informed citizenship, and strengthens our societal fabric in the age of global connectivity.

How Asian print media is fighting back against digital dominance

How Asian print media is fighting back against digital dominance

 July 06, 2024:  Explore the challenges facing print media in Asia, from digital competition to financial struggles, and discover how newspapers and magazines are adapting to survive in the digital age.

The surge of independent media in Asia: A new dawn for journalism

The surge of independent media in Asia: A new dawn for journalism

 July 03, 2024:  Discover how independent media outlets in Asia are transforming journalism by breaking barriers and shaping public opinion. Learn about the challenges and triumphs of these new voices in the media landscape.

Examining the perilous future of Pakistan's print media

Examining the perilous future of Pakistan's print media

 June 28, 2024:  Dive into an extensive exploration of the ominous challenges besieging Pakistan's print media sector. Delve into the heart of the debate on whether traditional newspapers can withstand the onslaught of the digital revolution.

Vanishing voices: The fall of investigative journalism in Pakistan

Vanishing voices: The fall of investigative journalism in Pakistan

 June 23, 2024:  Explore the decline of investigative journalism in Pakistan and understand the economic, political, and safety challenges that journalists face. Discover ongoing efforts to revive this vital form of journalism.

Newsroom
PFUJ to IHC: PECA Law must be suspended to protect journalism

PFUJ to IHC: PECA Law must be suspended to protect journalism

 February 11, 2025 The PFUJ has petitioned the Islamabad High Court to suspend the PECA Amendment Act, arguing that the law curtails press freedom and contains contradictory provisions. The court has issued a notice to the Attorney General for assistance.

Hum News leads the way: First Pakistani channel to embrace AI tools

Hum News leads the way: First Pakistani channel to embrace AI tools

 February 09, 2025 Hum News Network becomes the first Pakistani channel to embrace AI tools like ChatGPT and DeepSeek, enhancing productivity and innovation. Discover how this visionary move sets new standards in media.

Enhancing trauma reporting: Dart Center Ochberg Fellowship 2025

Enhancing trauma reporting: Dart Center Ochberg Fellowship 2025

 February 09, 2025 The Dart Center Ochberg Fellowship 2025 is open for applications! This prestigious program at Columbia University offers journalists an intensive seminar on trauma reporting, media ethics, and responsible journalism. Apply by March 3, 2025.

Youm-e-Tameer-o-Taraqi or Youm-e-Tabahi? Government spends millions on self-congratulatory ads

Youm-e-Tameer-o-Taraqi or Youm-e-Tabahi? Government spends millions on self-congratulatory ads

 February 08, 2025 As Pakistan faces an economic crisis, the government splurges taxpayers' money on full-page ads and press releases to glorify its achievements. Critics call it a wasteful PR stunt. Read how public funds are being misused for political propaganda.

Blogger killed, editor missing as Mozambique's press freedom crisis deepens

Blogger killed, editor missing as Mozambique's press freedom crisis deepens

 February 07, 2025 Mozambican journalist Albino Sibia was killed while filming police brutality, and reporter Pedro Junior was shot covering his funeral. Arlindo Chissale remains missing. These attacks highlight the dire state of press freedom in Mozambique amid post-election unrest.