What the 60 Minutes controversy means for TV journalism RFE/RL journalists persist with Iran war coverage amid risks Zee secures FIFA World Cup rights in India through 2030 How fact-checkers verify viral videos during breaking news Pentagon restrictions on reporters draw media backlash Israel-Lebanon talks proceed as conflict hinders reporting Why governments are tightening controls on foreign journalists China condemns US restrictions on Xinhua reporter Taiwan condemns China over New York Times reporter expulsion The biggest threats facing journalism in Asia today Press freedom review: The many faces of pressure on the press Five warning signs for global journalism in May 2026 Cybercrime, courtrooms, and newsroom cuts: What defined Pakistan media in May Gaza journalists win 2026 Golden Pen of Freedom award When AI writes the news, who checks the facts? What the 60 Minutes controversy means for TV journalism RFE/RL journalists persist with Iran war coverage amid risks Zee secures FIFA World Cup rights in India through 2030 How fact-checkers verify viral videos during breaking news Pentagon restrictions on reporters draw media backlash Israel-Lebanon talks proceed as conflict hinders reporting Why governments are tightening controls on foreign journalists China condemns US restrictions on Xinhua reporter Taiwan condemns China over New York Times reporter expulsion The biggest threats facing journalism in Asia today Press freedom review: The many faces of pressure on the press Five warning signs for global journalism in May 2026 Cybercrime, courtrooms, and newsroom cuts: What defined Pakistan media in May Gaza journalists win 2026 Golden Pen of Freedom award When AI writes the news, who checks the facts?
Logo
Janu
JP Global Media Brief 2

The News blunders twice in one day

 JournalismPakistan.com |  Published: 26 May 2017

Join our WhatsApp channel

The News blunders twice in one day
The News experienced a printing error, resulting in unreadable news items filled with symbols instead of text. Despite the confusion in print, the online version displayed the content correctly.

ISLAMABAD - The News surprised and perhaps also amused readers with two “coded news” on its front city page Friday.

It seemed a technical glitch at the printing stage led to the news items getting published as symbols, alphabets, and numbers.

The two news items in the paper’s Islamabad edition make no sense – a mix of alphabets, numbers, and symbols.

The one-column story with the headline ‘Sun to align over Kaaba on Sunday’ is unreadable as the text only contains alphabets, numbers, and symbols. However, a two-column boxed story on the same page is completely in alphabets, numbers, and symbols including the headline.

The online edition of the paper did carry the two news items in the proper form.

Columnist Nusrat Javeed in a tweet asked: How to decode this language that has appeared on upper half of the City Page of The News this morning?!

Key Points

  • Two stories on The News' front city page were corrupted by a printing glitch.
  • Headlines were replaced with jumbled symbols, numbers, and alphabets.
  • The incident was highlighted on social media by columnist Nusrat Javeed.
  • Online readers were able to access the articles in their proper form.
  • The glitch occurred in the Islamabad edition of the newspaper.

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

Newsroom
What the 60 Minutes controversy means for TV journalism

What the 60 Minutes controversy means for TV journalism

 June 03, 2026 The 60 Minutes controversy at CBS exposes tensions over leadership, editorial independence and pressures on legacy TV journalism amid political polarization.


RFE/RL journalists persist with Iran war coverage amid risks

RFE/RL journalists persist with Iran war coverage amid risks

 June 03, 2026 RFE/RL journalists, including Persian-language reporters, continue covering the Iran-Israel-US conflict despite heightened security risks, restricted access, and significant operational challenges.


Zee secures FIFA World Cup rights in India through 2030

Zee secures FIFA World Cup rights in India through 2030

 June 03, 2026 Zee Entertainment has secured broadcasting and digital rights in India for the 2026 and 2030 FIFA World Cups, reshaping the country's sports media landscape.


How fact-checkers verify viral videos during breaking news

How fact-checkers verify viral videos during breaking news

 June 02, 2026 Fact-checkers use source tracking, metadata, visual analysis and geolocation to verify whether viral videos in breaking news are authentic and timely.


Pentagon restrictions on reporters draw media backlash

Pentagon restrictions on reporters draw media backlash

 June 02, 2026 New Pentagon rules requiring official escorts for reporters in some areas have drawn criticism from press groups and major news organizations over transparency.


Popular Stories