In responding to the story of Altaf Hussain’s stepping down
from party leadership that turned into another episode of his ‘return on
popular demand’ within hours, the readers have shown better news sense than
newsmen.
Here is the Dawn.com story from which I have picked just two
of the many sensible comments:
Azmul Hussain: "Surprise resignation? Are you sure Dawn? I don't think anyone was truly surprised by an act that has been practiced many times before and with the same result". (299 likes)
Burki: "So, Altaf Hussain (says) his residence was searched by police in UK. How come Dawn never reported it?" (344 likes)
The second question points a firm middle finger at what could either be self-censorship practiced, not just by Dawn but the entire Pakistani news media when it comes to reporting on MQM, or it could be a collective newsgathering failure to report an important development in the Dr. Imran Farooq murder case.
In a tense battle for breaking news no one in the electronic media considered this news worth reporting, let alone following up, allowing Altaf Hussain to break it and give details in his speech a good ten days later. Could it be the ignorance of reporters sitting in London? Jang Group's editor investigations, Ansar Abbasi, disagrees. 'Reporters knew what was going on but we are scared to report on MQM,' he said in Capital Talk on June 30.
Investigations by London Metropolitan Police and Scotland Yard picked up in the past weeks after nearly a year of quiet. Two houses in London were reportedly raided by police on June 18. More searches were conducted the next day and a ‘British citizen of Pakistani origin wasquestioned’. And finally, on June 20 one news story hinted in passing that one of the houses searched by police ‘was registered in the name of Altaf Hussain’.
Azmul Hussain: "Surprise resignation? Are you sure Dawn? I don't think anyone was truly surprised by an act that has been practiced many times before and with the same result". (299 likes)
Burki: "So, Altaf Hussain (says) his residence was searched by police in UK. How come Dawn never reported it?" (344 likes)
The second question points a firm middle finger at what could either be self-censorship practiced, not just by Dawn but the entire Pakistani news media when it comes to reporting on MQM, or it could be a collective newsgathering failure to report an important development in the Dr. Imran Farooq murder case.
In a tense battle for breaking news no one in the electronic media considered this news worth reporting, let alone following up, allowing Altaf Hussain to break it and give details in his speech a good ten days later. Could it be the ignorance of reporters sitting in London? Jang Group's editor investigations, Ansar Abbasi, disagrees. 'Reporters knew what was going on but we are scared to report on MQM,' he said in Capital Talk on June 30.
Investigations by London Metropolitan Police and Scotland Yard picked up in the past weeks after nearly a year of quiet. Two houses in London were reportedly raided by police on June 18. More searches were conducted the next day and a ‘British citizen of Pakistani origin wasquestioned’. And finally, on June 20 one news story hinted in passing that one of the houses searched by police ‘was registered in the name of Altaf Hussain’.
If its true that reporters and editors tremble in fear of a regional political party, and willingly give up their duty to report honestly and fairly, how can it be expected to report on national level political parties, criminal gangs, and the much bigger and ferocious terror outfit, Tehrik e Taliban Pakistan and its various affiliates all over the country?
If police involves the head of a political party in a murder investigation, and it is not a story worth telling, what is?
If police involves the head of a political party in a murder investigation, and it is not a story worth telling, what is?
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