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RESOURCE CENTER - MEDIA MONITOR |
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Wednesday July 11, 2007
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A daily review of media coverage of media and communications issues. |
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Attack on Media
Intimidation
Shoot-at-sight orders | Journalists barred from hospitals |
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Journalists disallowed to visit hospitals
The authorities on Tuesday barred journalists from visiting all major hospitals in Islamabad and Rawalpindi. The decision was apparently aimed at preventing the journalists from assessing the exact number of causalities in the operation against the Lal Masjid militants. Most of the injured people were rushed to the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) in Rawalpindi. Private television channels reported that the police and troops had been ordered to shoot at journalists trying to gain access to the injured persons. Journalists were also stopped from entering the Fauji Foundation Hospital in Rawalpindi. Journalists who tried to enter the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, the Federal Government Services Hospital and the Capital Hospital were told by the security personnel to stay away. Hospital spokesmen were reluctant to disclose the number of injured or killed in the operation. They said that they were not authorised to share such information. However, despite the restrictions some television channels showed the pictures of the injured. These images were taken shortly before the ban on journalists was imposed. Agencies add: Maj Gen Waheed Arshad told reporters that the government had not issued any directions to shoot at journalists trying to gain access to the injured people. He said that the facts would be made public when the operation ends. Interior Minister Aftab Sherpao said that journalists had been stopped from entering the hospitals on the doctors’ request, who said they were facing problems in treating the injured in the presence of a large number of journalists.
Daily Time
The Post
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BBC Urdu |
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(Jang-1)
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/urdu/pakistan/story/2007/07/070710_media_lalmosque_rs.shtml |
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2 photojournalists detained for 22 hours |
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Security officials kept two photojournalists in custody for 22 hours. It is told that photojournalists Waseem Khan and Syed Mehdi went to press club for some work, but security officials did not allow them to come out. They remained in hostage for 22 hours.
(Nawa-i-Waqt-8)
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Shehnaz Sheikh remarks irk journalists |
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The State Minister for Health, Begum Shehnaz Sheikh and journalists exchanged hot words at surrender point near Lal Masjid, whilst the journalists also protested about her attitude. The ugly situation arose when journalists questioned the minister about the dead and injured count in government hospitals, when she arrived at ‘surrender point’ on Tuesday. Instead of giving appropriate answer or denial the already simmering minister, she launched into a tirade against the irresponsible attitude of journalists holding them responsible for a negative attitude at this junction of Lal Masjid operation. She was specifically charging about media and journalists showing horrific clips of wounded and dead repeatedly to encash (gain advertisement revenue) their ‘product’ and advised them to learn the ‘prudence of journalism from Americans’. The journalists protested about this in a vociferous way, scoffing at the minister for her inaccessibility to hospitals despite her ministerial post, and talking it all out on media.
(News-13)
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Media Protest
KUJ demands protection for journalists |
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Journalists demand life insurance
Journalists on Tuesday expressed concern over the killing of a cameraman who was performing his duties during the Lal Masjid Jamia Hafsa operation in Islamabad, and demanded that the owners of newspapers and TV channels take appropriate measures to provide protection to journalists. They also demanded that the government should provide facilities to the media people and devise a code of ethics. This demand was made in a resolution passed unanimously at a joint meeting of the Karachi Union of Journalists, Association of TV Journalists, and Pakistan Association of Press Photographers held at the Karachi Press Club on Tuesday. The meeting also expressed concern over the threatening calls received by certain journalists over the past six days, causing harassment and fear in the fraternity. The meeting condemned the arrest of daily Islam’s reporters and demanded for their immediate release. The meeting also condemned the government’s curbs on the media, denying them the right of properly covering the Islamabad operation.
Dawn
Daily Time
The News
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APNS hails minister’s resignation |
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The All Pakistan Newspapers Society on Tuesday welcomed the resignation of Federal Minister for Housing Syed Safwanullah of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement.In a statement issued here on Tuesday, the APNS said that it had repeatedly contacted the MQM since May 22 when a hit-list of “anti-Mohajir journalists” was issued by the Muhajir Rabita Council. The APNS had urged the MQM to remove Mr Safwanullah from his ministry as he was President of the Muhajir Rabita Council when the hit-list was issued. The APNS said it believed that the MQM had acted effectively first by disassociating itself from the Muhajir Rabita Council’s statement and later by making Mr Safwanullah resign from the MRC and, then withdrawing him from the federal cabinet. It said that now the only outstanding item on the agenda for action urged by the APNS was for the MQM leadership to persuade the MRC to withdraw the hit-list of 13 journalists that it had earlier issued.
Dawn
The News
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Media in Court
Petition against Pemra Ordinance,Govt asked to file comments on 16th |
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The Sindh High Court on Tuesday directed the federal Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority to file comments on the petition against promulgation of PEMRA (Amendment) Ordinance-2007. The court was hearing the petition filed by Sindh Bar Council members Salahuddin Gandapur and M Aqil who challenged the amendments in Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority Ordinance 2002 through Ord No. XXVI of 2007, contending it was in violation of fundamental rights of citizens of Pakistan.
The petitioners submitted that amending the said ordinance was beyond the powers of Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, for there was no occasion to issue such ordinance specially when the Senate session was not prorogued and the meeting of National Assembly was summoned for June 6, 2007, i.e. two days after the promulgation of the ordinance. As the matter was taken up by the Sindh High Court’s division bench comprising Justice Mohammad Moosa K Laghari and Justice Mrs Qaiser Iqbal, Kashif Hanif advocate filed powers on behalf of PEMRA. Standing counsel Ms. Sofia Saeed also sought time to file comments on behalf of the respondents. The court, taking notice over the delay in filing comments by the respondents, adjourned the hearing till July 16 and directed the respondents to file comments on the next date of hearing. Meanwhile, hearing of another identical petition filed by People Lawyers Forum (Sindh) against the promulgation of PEMRA (Amendment) Ordinance-2007 was also adjourned due to want of time.
(Jang-8)
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http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=64010 |
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Intimidations against journalists, Petition filed in SC |
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Press Association of Supreme Court has filed a petition in Supreme Court of Pakistan in view of intimidations, harassments against media persons and incidents of restricting the media from professional duties. In the plea, federal government, four provincial governments, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, and secretary FATA have been declared party in the case.
(Jang-8)
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ACJ directs registrar to facilitate newsmen |
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Acting Chief Justice Rana Bhagwandas Tuesday directed the Acting Registrar of supreme court not to deprive the journalists of their facilities being provided to media at the apex court. He also directed Acting Registrar not to create obstacles in the way of journalist community, allow it to perform their professional obligations. ACJ gave these directions to acting registrar after the delegation of press association of Supreme Court complained regarding orders passed by the registrar to vacate the room of press association. A delegation of the press association comprising its president Syed Muzammul Hussain Shah, Secretary General Muhammad Kamran and other went to chamber of the ACJ and registered their complaint.
(News-9)
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Media Bodies
District Electronic Media Association established in Chakwal |
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Media representatives of district Chawkwal have approved to establish District Electronic Media Association Chakwal. Meeting was attended by large number of media representatives from the district. Meeting set up an organizing committee that will ensure membership and election of the organization in January 2008. Khawja Babar was given responsibility to draft the constitution of body.
(Express-11)
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Media Miscellaneous
Govt gurus set to win media support |
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Besides ‘Lal Masjid’, the government is also fighting a war on media front and its so-called information gurus are working to handle the electronic channels and national dailies to win people’s hearts on the issue.
Well placed sources in Ministry of Information and Broadcasting told this scribe on Monday that the authorities have activated all its information managers to maintain a close liaison with national media and facilitate them for pro-government coverage in the whole episode of mosque showdown. These instructions were passed after Sunday’s incident when few officials of security agencies misbehaved with journalists and sealed the Press Club in order to launch final phase of military operation over Jamia Hafsa compound. The government moved quickly when few TV channels retaliated this action and transmitted harsh comments against the government. “Actually the visit of Director General Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) Maj. General Arshad Waheed to Press Club Islamabad office was first attempt to counter the situation and government accelerated its efforts to please media after that,” said a source. “The President General Musharraf also passed special instructions to media managers for facilitating media and putting in every effort for conveying government’s point of view to masses on the issue,” the source added. |
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http://www.nation.com.pk/daily/july-2007/11/nationalnews1.php |
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Violation of society norms | Pemra urged to take action against cable operators |
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While lashing out at cable TV operators involved in spreading vulgarity, the Senate Standing Committee on Culture, Sports and Tourism has called upon the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) to take strict action against such operators that were violating the society's norms. The observation was made in the meeting of Senate body that met at the Parliament House under the Chairmanship of Senator Zafar Iqbal Chaudhry. Senate body Chairman Senator Zafar Iqbal Chaudhry also termed the piracy as a major threat to the Pakistani film industry and underlined the need to take measures against it with a view to avert the total collapse of the film industry on the one hand and save the youth from falling prey to vulgarity on the other hand.
The committee expressed these views while having a detailed discussion on the piracy issue affecting the film industry and steps taken by the Ministry of Culture and Pemra to curb the menace.
The members of the committee were of the view that some cable TV operators were spreading vulgarity and called upon the Pemra to take strict action against such operators, as they were violating the norms of the society. It was agreed that laws need to be implemented in true sense and that Pemra should be vested with more powers to check the menace of piracy. mThe committee suggested that all the stakeholders should be taken into confidence, while taking any step for the revival of the film industry. The committee termed it imperative that collective efforts should be made by CBR, intellectual property organisation and Pemra to affectively eradicate piracy in the electronic media industry and properly check copy right infringements.
Earlier, different stakeholders of the film industry apprised the committee about their views point on the issue of piracy and the challenges posed by it to the film industry. |
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http://www.thepost.com.pk/ShortNewsT.aspx?shortid=4054&catid=2 |
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Media centre set up to facilitate journalists |
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The government has established a Media Facilitation Centre near Covered Market - a nearby place to Lal Masjid to enable mediapersons to perform their professional duties in a befitting manner. Additional Deputy Commissioner General (ADCG), Amir Ali Ahmad Monday told APP that now a specific place has been designated for the journalists where briefings and press conferences can be arranged. He said Press Information Department (PID) has provided communication facilities in the media centre including telephone and fax. He said as many as 152 male students under the age 18 of seminary have been handed over by Islamabad Capital Territory to their amily after completing necessary legal procedure.
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http://www.nation.com.pk/daily/july-2007/11/nationalnews2.php |
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Limited facilities for media during operation |
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Limited facilities were provided to media to cover the Lal mosque carnage. Information provided by government was only source for the private media. Media was not allowed to go close to mosque.
(Express-9)
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Ghazi was fond of technology |
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Late Maulana Abdul Rashid Ghazi was fond of technology and had all the latest communication equipment installed on his premises. Being an expert of computers, he established a data centre, which had all the necessary equipment including computers, faxes, printers, and scanner. To broadcast his speeches on the Internet, he had been maintaining his own website which was blocked later. With the help of his knowledge of networks and the Internet, he started to run the website again using proxies and IT tools. In order to obtain every minute report, Ghazi had installed a latest wireless system on his premises. Ghazi used to monitor all incoming and outgoing calls through digital computerized exchange. All the phone numbers of media persons were saved in that digital exchange. Since he had established very good relations with media persons, he daily called them to share his view points, speeches and ideas. Ghazi was also operating an illegal FM Radio station. The station went out of order during his last days.
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http://www.thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=8955 |
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Letter to Editor “Media coverage” |
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Muhammad Abd Al-Hameed comments ,“Television channels believe that news is just video clips, with the occasional live broadcast. Both electronic and print media have yet to realise that there is also something called graphics that put the news in perspective, such as tables, charts, graphs, aerial views and maps. We never see their effective use in making news comprehensible. Take the siege of the Jamia Hafsa complex. Even after six days, newspapers and television channels have been describing in words the location and its surroundings but have not shown it on a map. Not that it is difficult to get a map. Tourist maps of Islamabad are available from tourist offices free of charge.”
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http://www.thepost.com.pk/LetNews.aspx?dtlid=106748&catid=4 |
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Television
Gory scenes on TV made children psychological wrecks |
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Mumtaz Alvi reports panicky parents in the twin cities and elsewhere stopped their children from watching on television the storming of Lal Masjid Tuesday. Scenes of ambulances rushing from one place to another carrying the injured scared the young souls and it was learnt that parents thought it advisable to either switch off television sets.
(News-13)
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DISCLAIMER: The contents, including news and headlines, in this newsletter are reproduced from their respective publications ad verbatim as a public service to media observers. Internews does not author the contents and these, therefore, do not necessarily reflect organizational policy.
Updated at 11:00 PST (06:00 GMT) |
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