Disclaimer: This is opinion of a young student of Mass Communication and Dispatch News Desk may not support his opinion but sharing his opinion to indicate what youth is thinking about situation in Pakistan.
An Open Letter to Shireen Mazari and Geo TV
Respected Sir
This is my an Open Letter to Shireen Mazari and Geo TV. I am a student of mass media and have high respect for democracy and freedom of expression. I was a proud young student of journalism just before war within the media houses started. Now I am shy to tell people what I wish to be come— a Journalist. Journalists are fighting against each other like dogs in street hungry for one bone. I see no norms left in the majority of top anchorpersons and journalists. ISI and Geo fight divides the media to lowest level. What an extreme I saw. How these extremists can be good journalists? We are taught that journalist only reports not give his opinion but what we see on television channels and newspaper is only opinions and personal fighting and point scoring. There are some people who are top anchors of Pakistan today and they had never work as reporter journalist before becoming stars.
My teachers informed us most of them became stars in weeks due to alleged help of intelligence agencies who provide complete files about corruption of elected government to these stars. Television channels are working Political channels. The prime example is last years of Geo television that is now demanding justice from viewers and readers. What justice it needs? Did it give justice to PPP? While reporting bias and fabricated news about PPP during its tenure?
Geo ruined Pakistan people Party (PPP) all five years of its tenure. Geo was working as political party against PPP through two of its anchors. Geo But I am sad that senior and original journalists like Shirin Mazari is also meddling against other senior and honest journalists. Shireen Mazari sahiba through her twitter blamed Geo anchor Iftikhar Ahmad that he is a journalist but also working for Punjab government in PHA and she said journalist can not work for government with or without perks. In response Iftikhar Ahmad said that he is not getting any salary any perk for planting trees. If I am not wrong Shireen Mazari was Director General of Institute for Strategic Studies (ISS) Islamabad for around 5 years getting all perks salary etc although ISS is funded by Ministry of foreign Affairs government of Pakistan. PML-N was crying against Geo when it was running Pukkar and promoting Imran Khan on its screen. No political party except PTI was given so much airtime and Geo made Imran Khan a real hero before and during election campaigns of 2013. That time Geo did not understand who is Imram Khan? And what he has done in past with all people he respected and love? Imran Khan is known for changing stances, friends, philosophies so how he could be a friend of Geo? Anyhow Imran Khan is a popular political leader and Geo should respect him. Zardari was popular political leader so geo should have respected him. Other channels like ARY, Express and Dunya are taking maximum advantage of Geo-ISI fight and they have right to do so because there is no ethics no rules and no respect left in Pakistan media.
I am too young but sir I consider meddling each other is only supporting those factors who already say there is no need of free media and democracy in Pakistan. These who believe in embedded journalism are smiling on Pakistan media corp.
I beg all journalists to behave with decency.
Nida Ali
Rawalpindi
