Editor's Choice

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Featured Post
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Let us build Pakistan" has moved.
30 November 2009

All archives and posts have been transferred to the new location, which is: http://criticalppp.com

We encourage you to visit our new site. Please don't leave your comments here because this site is obsolete. You may also like to update your RSS feeds or Google Friend Connect (Follow the Blog) to the new location. Thank you.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tuesday 17 November 2009

The ugly handiwork of Shirin Mazari, the media Baji of the Taliban

Editors criticise newspaper article against WSJ reporter
By Iftikhar A. Khan
Tuesday, 17 Nov, 2009

ISLAMABAD: Top executives and editors of 21 leading international media organisations have collectively voiced concern over publication of an article in a Pakistani national newspaper [The Nation, Resident Editor Shireen Mazari], accusing Mathew Rosenberg, a correspondent for the Wall Street Journal, of working for foreign intelligence services and even the US military contractor Blackwater.

In a joint letter addressed to Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira, they said the development had caused alarm among international media organisations working in the country and urged the government to take all possible steps to ensure the safety of all media personnel in future.

Describing Rosenberg as a respected journalist of high standing, they observed that the unsubstantiated allegation levelled in the article published in The Nation that he worked for CIA, Israeli intelligence and Blackwater had critically compromised his (Rosenberg’s) security and raised questions about whether he could return to Pakistan to work safely in future.

The article also has a broader implication, the letter said, pointing out that these were difficult times for all journalists in Pakistan. ‘Our employees already face an array of threats, including violence and kidnapping, as they strive to provide timely and accurate coverage. Now those risks have been needlessly increased.’

The top executives of international media said they strongly supported press freedom across the world, but the irresponsible article endangered the life of one journalist and could imperil others.

‘It is particularly upsetting that this threat has come from among our own colleagues,’ they regretted.

They recognised that courageous Pakistani journalists routinely faced greater danger than their international counterparts. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, five Pakistani journalists have been killed in the past 12 months. ‘And we are heartened that several Pakistani media organisations have denounced The Nation’s story,’ they remarked.

But, they said, they were also concerned that an incident of this kind — tarring a foreign reporter as a spy — could occur again. They asked the government to take note of the story and make necessary arrangements for security of all media personnel.

Copies of the joint letter have also been sent to Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and Interior Minister Rehman Malik, and heads of all the newspaper organisations.

The joint letter bears signatures of Chuck Lustig, Foreign Editor, ABC News; Phillipe Massonnet, Global News Director, AFP; Kathleen Carroll, Senior Vice President and Executive Editor Associated Press (AP); Alan Rusbridger, Editor in Chief, The Guardian; Jon Williams, World News Editor, BBC; Roger Alton, Editor, The Independent; Nancy Lane, Senior Vice President, CNN; Al Anstay, Head of News, Al Jazeera; John Micklethwait, Editor in Chief, The Economist; Daniel Bogler, Managing Editor, Financial Times; Bruce Wallace, Foreign Editor, Los Angeles Times; Jean Gerard, Deputy Director, France Infor; John L Walcott, McClachy Newspapers; Ellen Weiss, Senior Vice President for News, National Public Radio (NPR); David Schlesinger, Editor in Chief, Reuters; Bill Keller, Executive Editor, The New York Times; Richard Stengel, Managing Editor, Time; Nisid Hajari, Foreign Editor, Newsweek; James Harding, Editor, The Times; Calude Cirille, Editor in Chief, Radio France International; and Robert Thomson, Managing Editor, The Wall Street Journal. Source

A likely statement by Imran Khan: This is an international Zionist conspiracy against the General Secretary of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, Dr Shireen Mazari. We condemn Amreekah and its agents hukmraan for this saazish.

For a detailed account of this news item, please consult the following post at Pakistan Media Watch:

21 International Media Organizations Write to Government About The Nation


2 comments:

Unknown said...

good title "baji of taliban ". how on earth someone like shireen mazari can be the editor of a newspaper .

Unknown said...

If you wish to know how she can be the the Editor of The Nation, you need to understand Majid Nizami's morbid fascination with Islamofascism.

Post a Comment

1. You are very welcome to comment, more so if you do not agree with the opinion expressed through this post.

2. If you wish to hide your identity, post with a pseudonym but don't select the 'anonymous' option.

3. Copying the text of your comment may save you the trouble of re-writing if there is an error in posting.