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| At the “Essential Tools for Pakistani Journalists" workshop on Zoom and live in Islamabad. |
If you want a lengthy, detailed conversation, ask a Pakistani reporter to list the challenges faced by journalists in their country.
This is exactly what I did during a Zoom discussion last
night with about 20 Pakistani journalist during the launch event of a
multi-year project called, “Essential Tools for Pakistani Journalists.”
As the reporters listed their challenges, several themes
repeatedly surfaced. One was a lack of official sources and access to credible
information, which in turn helps to fuel rumors and mis and disinformation. The
sad economic state of the media was also mentioned repeatedly, including
newsroom downsizing, poor salaries, and inadequate resources needed to
facilitate reporting. The third major theme that emerged was about biased, subjective,
and polarizing reporting—a fact exacerbated by political pressure exerted by
media house owners who are themselves politicians, or in bed with politicians. Also,
the reporters decried a lack of training for journalists in identifying and
combating disinformation and deepfakes. Finally, the journalists cited concerns
about censorship, and about a flimsy legal framework and judicial system that
offers no legal cover for investigative reporters who are just trying to do
their jobs.
At the introductory session, I also presented the basics of
peace journalism, and discussed how this is especially relevant in the ongoing Pakistan
vs. India context. This led us into an introduction of mis and disinformation,
and another discussion about the extent of the problem in Pakistan. The
journalists said that “influencer journalism” and citizen journalism are
problematic, and that the false information they spread discredits professional
media outlets, even though these outlets aren’t responsible for the lies and
vitriol spread on social media.
We also briefly discussed AI, and whether it’s ethical for AI to write stories for journalists. Most said no, although they expressed a collective trepidation about a future when economically distressed media owners might turn to AI writers and reporters instead of their human counterparts.
In March, I meet this lively group of journalists for a
three day in-person seminar in Islamabad that builds upon the themes we
discussed last night. I very much look forward to continuing our interactions.
The “Essential Tools for Pakistani Journalists” project is sponsored by the East-West Center, supported by Coca-Cola Pakistan, and administered by Rohtas Communications/Pakistan.
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| Discussing challenges faced by Pakistani journalists at the zoom session on 1/6. |
