Pakistan’s Journalists Demand a Fair Deal

Journalists from Pakistan’s print and electronic media rallied nation-wide on Monday under the banner of the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), an affiliate of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), to call attention to the continuing crises of livelihoods, job security and physical safety in their profession.

Protests were held in all the major cities of Pakistan, including Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar, Faisalabad, Gujranwala and Bahawalpur.

The PFUJ condemned the continuing failure of media owners to implement the Seventh Wage Award, despite the lapse of seven years since it was notified. With the tenure of the wage award having expired, the PFUJ is also demanding constitution of the overdue Eighth Wage Board.

Other demands include abolishing the contract system of employment in journalism, the enforcement of labour laws, and amendments to the applicable law to bring it in line with international labour conventions

The PFUJ also demands a high-level inquiry into recent activities of a senior official of the Pakistan Federal Government’s Information Department, for alleged abuse of power.

“The IFJ fully endorses the PFUJ’s demands,” IFJ General Secretary Aidan White said. “These are challenging times for journalism in Pakistan, with job losses mounting and professional morale taking a severe hit.

“Media organisations need to invest more rather than less in quality journalism, since the public demand for information is mounting in a context of growing internal conflict and economic crisis.”

According to the PFUJ, the protests were joined in virtually all cities by the local press clubs.

The demonstrators were unanimous in demanding that media organisations should retract their arbitrary recent actions and reinstate all journalists who had been unfairly dismissed from employment.

“The IFJ calls upon media organisations to meet their obligations toward the professional community of journalists since, as the PFUJ says, the last few years have been a period of unprecedented profitability for the industry,” White said.

“If a fair deal for journalists remained an unrealised hope through the years of the boom, the current economic downturn makes it an absolute imperative.”

Click here to view source

IFJ Demands Protection of Journalists in Pakistan’s North-West

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins its affiliate, the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), in expressing alarm at the rapid deterioration in conditions for journalists and media workers in Pakistan’s war-torn North-West Frontier Province (NWFP).

According to the PFUJ, most journalists and media workers in the Malakand division of NWFP have abandoned their professional work. Five daily newspapers have ceased publishing. Very many print and electronic media personnel have had to leave their offices and homes due to the escalation in fighting between Pakistan’s armed forces and insurgents grouped under the banner of the Taliban.

The five newspapers that have closed - Azadi, Khabarkar, Chand, Salam and Shumal - were all published from Mingora, the headquarters of Swat.

Journalists in Swat have had to contend with indiscriminate firing from unidentified assailants, and damage to their vehicles and property.

Several journalists came under intensive rocket attack in Swat’s Continental Hotel last week. They did not suffer physical harm, but the vehicle of one journalist, Fayaz Zafar, was gutted when it was hit by a rocket.

In Buner in late April, a team of journalists covering the military engagement came under hostile fire, in which a correspondent of a private television channel suffered serious injuries.

“The IFJ calls on all sides to the conflict to recognise the non-combatant status of journalists and appeals to media managers to ensure that personnel assigned to the war-affected area are provided with training in safety procedures and all necessary equipment to protect themselves,” IFJ Asia-Pacific Director Jacqueline Park said.

“The IFJ also calls on Pakistan’s Government to recognize its obligations under United Nations Security Council Resolution 1738 (2006), which stresses that national governments must actively protect journalists and media workers reporting in war zones, in accordance with their status as civilians under international law.”

The IFJ joins the PFUJ in expressing great concern at the news blackout from the war zones. The exodus of media personnel is depriving people of Pakistan of fair and unbiased reporting from the region, both on the military operation and the humanitarian situation. The only agency now disseminating information from the area is the Directorate of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), which is tasked with presenting only the army’s version of events.

Click here to view source

Journalists Flee Swat Valley

Only a few journalists are left in Pakistan's restive Swat Valley to cover the government's military offensive against the Taliban, according to Reporters Without Borders (RSF), as well as news reports on the website of the Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF).

RSF reports that national newspapers are no longer being distributed for safety reasons. Swat residents no longer have access to satellite television since the Taliban damaged the district's only cable distribution network, and journalists are fleeing the area out of fear for their safety.

The authorities have introduced a curfew in Swat and neighbouring districts in a bid to stop the Taliban from reinforcing their positions in the region.
"It is now impossible to get independently-sourced information about what is happening in Swat Valley," RSF said.

Ghulam Farooq, the editor of the local daily "Shamal", told RSF, "All the newspapers based in Swat have stopped publishing for security reasons, because the situation is extremely dangerous. What's more, the curfew makes it impossible for our staff to move about." According to news reports, Farooq and his family have fled Swat.

Swat Press Club president Salahuddin Khan told reporters that journalists had left the valley. "We are leaving Swat as we are under direct threat from all sides," he said. Khan advised all journalists choosing to stay in Mingora, Swat's main city, to work from home.

RSF is demanding the Pakistani authorities give journalists better protection and permits "that allow them to circulate during curfew hours so that they are able to do their job."

Visit these links:
- Journalists flee Swat Valley en masse (RSF): http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=31276

BBC launches new language sites

The BBC College of Journalism and the BBC World Service have today launched five new language learning micro-sites, with one more to come soon.

The launches mean the number of language sites from the College of Journalism now totals at 30.We have launched external language sites for our last group: Spanish, Portuguese for Brazil, Albanian, Macedonian and Serbian, which will be shortly followed by Turkish. Today's launches will bring up the number of the language sites created for America and Europe to seven. The language sites for Ukraninan were launched last month.

Sixteen months ago it seemed an almost impossible task to create an external language micro-site for all the language services in the World Service, but today it is a reality.

This has been a unique opportunity presented to the language services by the College of Journalism, enabling every service to concentrate on its own language for the first time.
Language experts, senior colleagues and specialists from outside BBC were asked to find consensus for terminologies, style, wording, translation techniques, writing styles for a multimedia platform and much more.

The aim was to create bespoke, unique sites for every language which will serve the need of that particular language. The use of impartial language was the main point for some languages; others concentrated on grammar, spelling, style, pronunciation, translation and original writing.

The College of Journalism site in Portugese for Brazil mainly concentrates on the use of impartial language, accuracy and storytelling. Rogerio Simoes, head of Brazilian Service, believes that: "The College of Journalism site can be a very important tool in our relationship with our audience, as it shows to the user of our site what are the main concerns and principles behind the journalism produced by the BBC. We hope to gradually make it a larger and even more effective reference for members of our audience who want to understand more about BBC's aims and what BBC journalism stands for."
Spanish, For many languages this has been an opportunity to share the BBC editorial values with the audience, the College of Journalism site in Spanish carries the BBC editorial guideline highlighted by an interview with expert. Hernando Alvarez, current affairs editor, says: "Through the Spanish College of Journalism site we have an opportunity to show everyone how and why we are taking the editorial decisions."

Albanian, Language is a living organism which is constantly changing and developing. The language expert on the Albanian site explains the dilemma of foreign words in the media, where is it necessary and when it is destroying the language. The head of Albanian Service, Diana Kola, believes that the unique selling point the BBC output has is its ability to analyze and go under the skin of the story, while at the same time use simple, unpolluted language that is understood by all.

Macedonian, The BBC is delighted to be able to develop this knowledge and share it with journalists across the world.

The head of the BBC Macedonain Service, Zaneta Skerlev, says: "School of Journalism in Macedonian will enrich our online offer with something completely different - how we do what we do best - writing for radio. It is good that we are not selfishly keeping the knowledge, experience and talent - we are sharing that with our listeners and colleagues."

Serbian, The College of Journalism language sites also carry some expert advice from the main College of Journalism English site. We have been able to translate a film by the BBC correspondent Allan Little on how to write for radio in many languages.Creating College of Journalism language micro-sites is a first step and a firm recognition of the fact that journalists broadcasting in languages other than English need a mechanism of support which can also be a reference point for the BBC and non-BBC journalists across the world.

Aleksej Zoric, head Of Serbian Service, believes that the BBC School of Journalism presentation on the BBC Serbian internet pages have the potential of becoming a very useful and instructive tool for the users. For those working in journalism it will clarify the usage of language in radio.

This is the beginning of a very important task: to gather and develop the great knowledge and experience that exist in the language services, an important part of our broadcast life, the knowledge which is linked to the language in which we broadcast.To unify and share the information that we can call the BBC style in Arabic, our way of writing in Farsi, or the in-house style of BBC in Chinese.

Please contact Najiba.Kasraee@bbc.co.uk for further information.

Taliban warn media against hostile coverage

The Tehreek-e-Taliban in the troubled Swat region of Pakistan has warned newspapers and TV channels against publishing or broadcasting news against the Taliban.

In a poster issued on 28 April 2009, the Taliban warned the media of dire consequences if they did not stop "propaganda" against the struggle of Taliban "for the enforcement of Shariah" in Malakand Division. Copies of the poster were posted outside the offices of a number of newspapers and private TV channels.

The poster addressed to "all editors of private and official news agencies, journalists and columnists" said, "you have a key role in changing the direction of the society, bringing revolution and making public opinion," and added that it is "your responsibility to give space in your columns, editorials and headlines, to such news which creates positive results and represents the aspirations of the people of Malakand. Our two-year struggle was purely meant for the enforcement of Nizam-e-Adl (Islamic system of justice) and we have no other objective."
The poster claimed that the tone of media coverage had changed over the previous one week and added "this changed tone of the media shows that journalists are either lured by the pro-West polices of media or are doing so under pressure."

The poster said the Taliban would go to the Shariah court to file cases against the media if such reporting was not stopped. The poster added: "The media's biased coverage was giving the impression that Taliban were sabotaging the Nizam-e-Adl. Journalists would be responsible for the grave consequences if they did not stop working on that agenda."

The warning comes amidst growing nationwide criticism of the Taliban for violating the peace deal and resumption of armed patrolling in Dir and Buner districts of Swat even after the enforcement of Nizam-e-Adl Regulation.

The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) expressed concern over the threat which is tantamount to intimidation of the media and media personnel.

In a statement the PFUJ said if this tendency was allowed to develop, all non-state actors would start telling the media to project their particular point of view, and the media would not be able to play its due role as envisaged in the Constitution of Pakistan.

The PFUJ appealed to the Taliban's leadership and government to realize their moral responsibilities and to ensure the protection of journalists and create a "conducive environment," for fair and factual reporting. The PFUJ pointed out that media would not succumb to pressure from any group, government or Taliban for reporting as per their mandate.

Click here to view source