By Zubeida Mustafa
Source: Dawn

AT A time when communication technology has facilitated the flow of information and made it difficult for governments to suppress the dissemination of news, authorities in South Asia are moving against the tide.

They have stepped up their effort to curb access to knowledge and information in a desperate bid to keep the people in the dark. This is a paradox that is difficult to explain.
Continue reading Professional hazards for journalists →

By Zubeida Mustafa
Source: Dawn

THE government’s move to establish a large number of universities in a country where only half the population is literate has been widely debated. But President Pervez Musharraf’s suggestion for a media university should not be dismissed without a second thought because this venture, if it were to materialise, will be a different one of its kind.

Pakistan has no meritorious institution for training media personnel. This need not be a highbrow university to make an impact. Even an institute which awards a post-graduate diploma — but a really prestigious one — should serve our purpose well.
Continue reading Training of media persons →

By Zubeida Mustafa
Source: Dawn

LAST Wednesday was World Press Freedom Day. Observed every year on May 3, since the UN General Assembly designated it so in 1993, the day has served to remind governments and civil society of the importance of the freedom of expression. It is now universally recognised that a free press plays a vital role in strengthening democratic institutions and fostering development around the world.

Yet the right of access to information and press freedom cannot be taken for granted. In fact if anything the IPI’s World Press Freedom Review 2006 shows how this right is flouted in so many countries of the world. This document covers 188 states which include some of those conventionally considered to be the strongholds of press freedom, such as Britain and the Scandinavian countries. Some skeletons in their cupboards have also been exposed.
Continue reading The other side of press freedom →

By Zubeida Mustafa
Source: Dawn

HOW do people feel about the electronic media’s approach to the traumatic events that have shaken the country since October 8 when a massive earthquake struck northern Pakistan and Azad Kashmir? With nearly a dozen local news channels telecasting round the clock, there has been a surfeit of coverage of the happenings in the country in the last fortnight or so.

For the foreign television channels — mainly the CNN, BBC, Sky and Fox — the earthquake was big news just as the tsunami, hurricanes Rita and Katrina were. The earthquake was the main story for a few days and then these channels moved on to other happenings since the world doesn’t stand still for any one.
Continue reading Age of tabloid television →