Shame Journalism

  Noor Muhammad Gojal Hunza

Email:  gulmitwala@gmail.com

Daily K2 also published a statement of Saleem Khan which shrieked that law – and –order situation had been created in Sost and, thus, the paramilitary forces [Rangers] shall be appointed in the town to calm it down. One is amazed to see senior so-called journalists, so brazenly, allowing false news getting published, turning their back to reality. A very senior executive of Karakuram Publishing Network, Saadat Ali Mujahid – he also works as a correspondent of Geo News, had visited the port and also recorded interviews for his channel. He could have informed his group’s editors about the ground realities. He, unfortunately, did not. He also did not allow the interviews to appear on the TV channel that he works for. This is not only professional dishonesty; it is also against the basic human virtue of supporting the truth.

Another ‘former bastion of truth’, a journalist turned so-called politician, Eman Shah also publicly lied about the damage caused to physical property of the Sost port. I was shocked to read his brazen stand in support of corruption and manipulation. He used to be a personal favorite as a journalist but now he has disgraced his actual profession in pursuance of bootie from the jackal’s hunt.

A message for the owners of newspapers in Gilgit – Baltistan: you all need to realize that the world is changing and, now, there are multiple information sources being used by the public. The revolution in communication technology has changed the dynamics of information flow, beyond your wildest imaginations. Mobile phones, landline phones and, above all them, the internet has opened cheaper, fast and easy to use formats that are being used by people of Gilgit – Baltistan to get information. Misinformation hurts your paper the most, in this situation.

Blogs are being used by several groups of conscious citizens to dispense information related to all aspects of the society. Pamir News Blog is one such source of information that kept the readers truly informed about what was going on in Sost. Volunteer community journalists donated their time, their resources and their knowledge to update information in this regard. Videos of interviews, pictures and other information were made available for readers throughout the world. Thus, all the owners of newspapers and professional journalists need to understand that they can’t make people fool by reporting events that are nothing but fabrications of their own thoughts.

Not only have the newspapers of Gilgit – Baltistan lost credibility by not supporting the cause of the common people they have also confirmed the fear that journalism in Gilgit – Baltistan, has also been annihilated by the menace of favoritism, corruption and manipulation.

The papers that make lucrative slogans about supporting the ‘majboor-o-mehkoom’ public of the region, in reality, are massaging the feet of their masters, both, here and there. This might help them swell their bank accounts for the time being but they are losing what is called the ‘social capital’; fountainhead of all other capitals.

This practice of playing in the hands of powerful groups, individuals and vested interests is poison for our society. The common people get their information from whatever source of information are available to us. If the press doesn’t present facts than the entire public will remain ignorant, deceived and, thus, numb.

I invite all senior and junior professional journalists, community journalists and bloggers from Gilgit – Baltistan to ponder over this issue and appreciate gravity of the situation. A contaminated press is as bad as an organ that has been infected by cancer. The disease keeps spreading till the end and affects the entire body.