Dawn: an anti-Pakistan newspaper ?

[I.R.A]

@Shamain

Who is going to take action against this? Law Makers who don't know the ABC of laws themselves, the problem is its a conglomerate with diverse lines and pawns everywhere, even in the sacred buildings like parliament (I have no idea why this building is sacred) and courts. If you need to counter them you should have been proactive, you should have learnt lessons from 1971, the damage is done now, and there is no easy reversal of that damage.God forbid Pakistan won't be brought down by its enemies but its own people.

 

[niaz]

I have been reading Dawn ever since I could read English. Opposition to military courts is not exclusive to Dawn. Raza Rabbani; new Chairman of the Senate; said on TV that voting in favour of military courts was with very heavy heart.

Printing editorials & opinions against the military court does not make the Dawn an-anti Pakistan newspaper. PTI was until very recently pro-Taliban and even offered TTP to open an office in KPK; did it make Imran Khan a traitor?

In my humble opinion, newspaper editorials reflect the views of the management of the newspaper. Besides, editors die of and /or retire or dismissed, bringing in change of editorial policy.

We need to hear differing opinions; one does not have to agree with these, but at least these provide food for thought.

 

[suresh1773]

@sabena siddiqi Why don't u start yr own newspaper. It is very easy to criticize others,find others mistakes,loop holes,faults,mis-reporting,twisting & concealing of facts. It is rightly said that One man' food is another man's poison, in the same way one man's way of reporting,observation,beliefs may be blasphemous to others. For some a important event should be published in the front page,for others it should not be published at all,this will go on. Who will determine this

I would like to clarify yr statement given below

"In another Dawn report , it was claimed that Pakistan is the largest importer of Chinese arms, without reporting that India is the largest importer of arms from all over the world. This partial reporting only favored India."

What difference it makes whether one import weapons from China,Russia or any other country,is it done for free.

 

[I.R.A]

I have been reading Dawn ever since I could read English. Opposition to military courts is not exclusive to Dawn. Raza Rabbani; new Chairman of the Senate; said on TV that voting in favour of military courts was with very heavy heart.

Printing editorials & opinions against the military court does not make the Dawn an-anti Pakistan newspaper. PTI was until very recently pro-Taliban and even offered TTP to open an office in KPK; did it make Imran Khan a traitor?

In my humble opinion, newspaper editorials reflect the views of the management of the newspaper. Besides, editors die of and /or retire or dismissed, bringing in change of editorial policy.

We need to hear differing opinions; one does not have to agree with these, but at least these provide food for thought.

Fair enough sir.

On another note not specific to Dawn, what do you think should be the limit to expressing a differing opinion that would undermine the National Interests. The job of the journalist is to report news after verifying, but what about situation and a country where journalists become law, law enforcement and experts of every and all things. Where they start dictating others to do their jobs.

 

[Shamain]

Color less sky bahi iwill reply to yor post later.
@sabena siddiqi , reading suresh post about import of arms from china.
when u read that news piece had you noticed one thing. The heading was pakistan biggest importer of arms from china and the entire article had no mention of it in it anywhere. I was really surprised at that time and had failed to see the aim of it and such headline.

Whatever one says the case of fact remains same dawn is into shady stufff and their policy is clear. Its all about cynicism and spreading extreme form of despondency. When i read their article and editotials i feel no nation is as deprived in the world as pakistan.
Isi if will overlook these media houses than it would be akin to shooting in their and county's own feet.

 

[livingdead]

Fair enough sir.

On another note not specific to Dawn, what do you think should be the limit to expressing a differing opinion that would undermine the National Interests. The job of the journalist is to report news after verifying, but what about situation and a country where journalists become law, law enforcement and experts of every and all things. Where they start dictating others to do their jobs.

how exactly you do it?
institute a board that will read every editorial/opinion piece before giving go ahead?
national interest is subjective... its not easy to prove whether a person wants to subvert the state.

 

[Shamain]

Hinduguy have you ever seen USA centcom 'digital team' members posting here. What do you think is their aim?

 

[Spring Onion]

how exactly you do it?
institute a board that will read every editorial/opinion piece before giving go ahead?
national interest is subjective... its not easy to prove whether a person wants to subvert the state.

Pakistani media has been a rebel when it comes to freedom of expression and it is the right thing. The world is becoming too small and people are becoming more aware. Their minds are opening up they can decide what is wrong and what is right. The manipulation is always there and it is nothing new.

Turning Media into a nationalistic entity only paves way for creation of more confuse biased minds.

You can NOT censor the editorials. Even a small newspaper from Peshawar does not write "freedom fighters' for Kashmiris, we used to write it as separatists . This does not mean they are anti-Pakistan. It means we want to be normal people.

The Indian media is still nationalist, i am sure it will follow Pakistan and one day will be as vibrant when it comes to foreign policy

 

[livingdead]

Pakistani media has been a rebel when it comes to freedom of expression and it is the right thing. The world is becoming too small and people are becoming more aware. Their minds are opening up they can decide what is wrong and what is right. The manipulation is always there and it is nothing new.

Turning Media into a nationalistic entity only paves way for creation of more confuse biased minds.

You can NOT censor the editorials. Even a small newspaper from Peshawar does not write "freedom fighters' for Kashmiris, we used to write it as separatists . This does not mean they are anti-Pakistan. It means we want to be normal people.

The Indian media is still nationalist, i am sure it will follow Pakistan and one day will be as vibrant when it comes to foreign policy

I agree..
as Lal Krishna Advani once quipped about Indian media(during emergency imposed by Indira Gandhi)
: 'when asked to bend, they crawled'.
Indian media got no spine, copy govt press release as gospel truth and publish.
Ordinary Indians go by govt version very easily. Take the blowing up of pakistani fishing vessel for example.

 

[I.R.A]

how exactly you do it?
institute a board that will read every editorial/opinion piece before giving go ahead?
national interest is subjective... its not easy to prove whether a person wants to subvert the state.

The profession I practice has a Code of Ethics; we are educated from very beginning how to adhere to it. And when we come into practical field we are subjected to rapid Quality Control reviews on organisation level and on Institute level, people abusing the code are reprimanded in open newsletters and in extreme cases their memberships revoked.


So how difficult is it for journalists or their associations to implement a Code of Ethics, and each and every media outlet to have internal audit / quality control review functions? Very difficult if only motive is to earn money.

 

[livingdead]

The profession I practice has a Code of Ethics; we are educated from very beginning how to adhere to it. And when we come into practical field we are subjected to rapid Quality Control reviews on organisation level and on Institute level, people abusing the code are reprimanded in open newsletters and in extreme cases their memberships revoked.


So how difficult is it for journalists or their associations to implement a Code of Ethics, and each and every media outlet to have internal audit / quality control review functions? Very difficult if only motive is to earn money.

money becomes motive for lot of things in real world.. am sure when you want to be doctor, you are not doing it for money alone... but then you spend loads of money and reality bites.

If your point is about journalistic ethics, I will agree. But we are talking about supporting state here.
Sample question for you: You are an editor. You got a story about Kasab's parents being traced to a village in pakistan. Your team did the hard work. You checked and rechecked so that it is beyond resonable doubt.
Now will you break the story in your paper/media? I agree that money (a rival might get story first) is also in your mind... but what else should you keep in mind?

People here are arguing you should not break the story because that hurts pakistan. Not about ethics as such.

 

[I.R.A]

money becomes motive for lot of things in real world.. am sure when you want to be doctor, you are not doing it for money alone... but then you spend loads of money and reality bites.

If your point is about journalistic ethics, I will agree. But we are talking about supporting state here.

Yes my point is about journalistic ethics. And it is not necessary that you sing for the state to support it, you can keep shut and not meddle into sensitive matters and indirectly support state to conduct its business smoothly in those matters.

Sample question for you: You are an editor. You got a story about Kasab's parents being traced to a village in pakistan. Your team did the hard work. You checked and rechecked so that it is beyond resonable doubt.
Now will you break the story in your paper/media? I agree that money (a rival might get story first) is also in your mind... but what else should you keep in mind?

People here are arguing you should not break the story because that hurts pakistan. Not about ethics as such.

Tell me one thing is it my duty being a journalist to trace parents of anyone for whose actions my country is being blamed? Am I a journalist or Detective?

Yes if his parents come to my news outlet and identify and prove their relation with him, I will report but I won't go searching in villages for his parents and then take them on TV. It is not my job as a journalist and its none of my business to track people down and prove relationships.

 

[qamar1990]

Not again , @Secur .. RUN!! pack your bags and RUN!!.

they do have nadeem paracha... if that piece of shit is working there... you know something wrong with heir editor.

 

[MastanKhan]

If you plan on curtailing freedom of speech, where do you draw the line? I believe no institution should be above critique, that includes Pak Army.

On cnn and fox news standards.

 

[livingdead]

Yes my point is about journalistic ethics. And it is not necessary that you sing for the state to support it, you can keep shut and not meddle into sensitive matters and indirectly support state to conduct its business smoothly in those matters.



Tell me one thing is it my duty being a journalist to trace parents of anyone for whose actions my country is being blamed? Am I a journalist or Detective?

Yes if his parents come to my news outlet and identify and prove their relation with him, I will report but I won't go searching in villages for his parents and then take them on TV. It is not my job as a journalist and its none of my business to track people down and prove relationships.

investigative journalism does not happen by sitting in AC office and searching for stories on internet...

anyway... each profession has its own ethics... you should not judge journalists by ethics of your profession.
I am no journalist, but may be you should ask somebody from their profession. What is considered obvious to us as layman, may not be that obvious.