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RESOURCE CENTER - MEDIA MONITOR |
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Thursday October 25, 2007
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A daily review of media coverage of media and communications issues. |
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Media Miscellaneous
PPP decides to ‘tame’ journalists |
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The Pakistan People's Party (PPP) has decided to tame "targeted" journalists by exploiting the persuasive skills of a set of its leaders to mould the hard-hitting lot's opinion in its favour. However, the suicide attack on the welcoming reception of Benazir Bhutto's return from self-imposed exile made the top PPP leader a hot cake for the world media and sidelined issues that were to haunt her on her homecoming. In view of this the original media management strategy has temporarily taken the back seat as they are now more concerned about cashing in on what is at hand. In a London meeting that she had chaired shortly before her return to chalk out the party's strategy, Benazir had assigned different PPP leaders and media managers to sway the target journalists in her favour. At that stage there was an extreme fear of media bashing of her and her PPP on two counts -- PPP decision to strike a deal with president General Pervez Musharraf with the blessing of the Americans and the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO), which was issued accepting Benazir's demand for withdrawal of all corruption cases against her and her spouse in and out of Pakistan. A PPP source, who attended the London deliberations, said that while discussing the overall media strategy the PPP leadership focused on those who were the party's top critics both in the print and electronic (private television channels) media. Names of different journalists were discussed to come up with a strategy to deal with them effectively but softly. The likes of Wajid Shamsul Hasan, Rehman Malik, Bashir Riaz, Sherry Rehman, Babar Awan and Farhatullah Babar were assigned target journalists while there were a few mediapersons who were considered inaccessible at least in the first round.
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http://www.thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=10810 |
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Delay in plot allotments: journalists feel despondent |
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Journalists based in Murree are becoming despondent over the delay in allotment of residential plots to them as promised by the Punjab government more than a year ago. A large delegation of media persons on Wednesday met Murree Town Nazim Sardar Saleem Khan in his office to apprise him of their anxieties and remind the government of its commitment. Punjab Minister for Law Basharat Raja on June 3, 2006, announced on behalf of Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi that plots would be provided to the local journalists. As a follow-up practice, the Murree Press Club provided the list of genuine journalists to the minister, however, there was no progress.
(Dawn-18)
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Journalists asked to give papers for cards |
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The member of board of governors of AJK Press Foundation Sardar Muhammad Javed said that chairman of AJK Press Foundation summoned once again the latest particulars of all working journalists who are living in AJK and working with any daily newspaper from last five years. This was stated by him in a press release.
(Nation-9)
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Freedom of thought and expression entails reciprocity’ |
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The right to freedom of thought and expression must take into account the sensibilities and sentiments of all groups. A line has to be drawn to determine where the freedom of expression of a certain group ends and that of another begins. This freedom of expression entails reciprocity. This was the consensus among speakers at the launching of the book, “Dialogue Versus Confrontation: Different Perspectives of Freedom of Expression and Respect for Religious Sensibilities” at the Goethe Institut, Wednesday evening. The book, edited Ms Naveed Ahmed Tahir, is a joint publication of the Goethe-Institut, Karachi, and the Area Studies Centre for Europe, University of Karachi. Speakers recalled the publication of the blasphemous caricatures in a Danish publication in 2006, deriding Islam and its Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon Him) and cited the unapologetic, arrogant, and intolerant stance of the paper as the cause for all the acrimony which translated into violence. |
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http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=77126 |
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Draft poll code proposes ban on govt ads |
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The Election Commission on Wednesday approved a draft code of conduct for political parties and candidates in the general elections. Political parties and contesting candidates shall firmly restrain their workers from exerting undue pressure against the print and electronic media, including newspaper offices and printing presses, or resorting to violence of any kind against the media. No person or party will be allowed to affix larger posters, hoardings, banners or leaflets than the prescribed size. The commission has prescribed the maximum size of posters as 2ft-x-3ft, hoardings 3ft-x-5ft, banners 3ft x 9ft and leaflets and handbills nine inches-x-six inches. The local authorities and returning officers will be responsible for implementation of the restriction. Under the draft, no advertisement, notice or announcement paid for from public funds will carry explicit or implicit reference, name, designation or photograph of any public functionary or holder of a state or public office to project himself as the originator, sponsor, promoter or organiser of any scheme, project, progress, ideology or vision. Issue of advertisement at the cost of public exchequer in the newspapers and other media and misuse of official mass media during for partisan coverage of political news and publicity regarding achievements with a view to furthering the prospects of the party in power will be avoided.
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http://www.dawn.com/2007/10/25/top6.htm |
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US ambassador to Pakistan visited the Jang / Geo offices in Karachi |
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US ambassador to Pakistan Mr. N.W Peterson visited The Jang, The News and Geo offices in Karachi. She held talks with editorial board of the newspapers.
(Jang-8)
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Radio
Illegal radio station restarts broadcasting messages |
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Mufti Munir Shakir, a controversial religious leader, has restarted broadcasting messages from his illegal FM station in the Khyber Agency. Sources in Bara said the location of the newly-established FM radio station is not known as yet. However, residents of Bara started aerial firing in jubilation, which lasted for half an hour, when they heard the Mufti’s voice on the radio after an interval of nearly 20 months. In his first broadcast, for which prior announcements had been made about the frequencies and timing, the Mufti restricted himself to the translation of passages from the Holy Quran. Mufti Shakir and his opponent Pir Saifur Rehman had been expelled from Bara in February last year after bloody clashes between their armed supporters. A jirga comprising elders from all the seven tribal agencies made the decision of their compulsory expulsion from Bara. The two had serious differences over the observance of certain religious rituals and both had established illegal FM radio stations in their respective areas of support and were engaged in a mud-slinging campaign against each other. After expulsion from Bara, the Pir, who originally belonged to Afghanistan, settled down in Lahore while Mufti Munir was arrested by secret agencies at the Karachi airport in May last year when he was trying to flee from the country. He was released in August this year. It was only last week that Mufti Shakir decided to re-launch his FM radio from an undisclosed location. He, however, told his supporters that the broadcast of his radio could be heard in parts of Aurakzai Agency, Bara, Jamrud and the surrounding areas of Peshawar district. Talking to Dawn from an undisclosed location, Mufti Shakir dispelled the impression that his FM radio had ever spread religious disharmony. He insisted that he would broadcast only Quranic teachings and would refrain from touching upon controversial issues. |
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http://www.dawn.com/2007/10/25/nat21.htm |
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Books
Digital library at PU’s dept |
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Punjab University Vice-Chancellor Prof Arif Butt on Wednesday inaugurated a digital library at the Department of Islamic Studies at Shaikh Zayed Islamic Centre (SZIC). Speaking on the occasion, the VC said there was a lot of potential in local research, but the need was to promote it at the international level so that it could benefit people at the mass level. He said the PU was the first university that had digitalised its library and gave its students access to international level research. He hoped this would help improve the standards of research in the university. Prof Butt along with Faculty of Islamic Studies dean Prof Dr Samar Fatima, Islamic Studies department chairman Dr Shabbir Ahmad Mansoori and teachers visited all sections of the library.
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http://www.dawn.com/2007/10/25/nat33.htm |
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Obituary
Journalist Hamdan Amjad Ali dies |
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Senior journalist and former Dawn staffer Syed Hamdan Amjad Ali, 68, died at a local hospital on Wednesday. He leaves his wife, a son and two daughters. He was admitted to hospital on Wednesday night for heart bypass surgery but died during the operation. His funeral prayers will be held in Masjid-i-Bilal, Abul Hasan Ispahani Road, Gulshan-i-Iqbal, Block 4-A, after Zuhar prayers on Thursday. Hamdan Amjad Ali had started his career in journalism from the United Press of Pakistan and served Dawn as its staff reporter for 25 years. Later, he brought out a daily newspaper and a health magazine. He also served in a weekly magazine briefly. At present he was associated with the Jang Group of Newspapers. The late journalist held the positions of president, vice-president and secretary of the Karachi Press Club for several terms and was an office-bearer of APNEC. He also remained secretary-general of the Commonwealth Journalists Association (Pakistan chapter), many times. Office-bearers and members of the PFUJ, KUJ and APNEC have condoled the death of the senior journalist. |
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http://www.dawn.com/2007/10/25/local20.htm |
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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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