Director CEJ, Amber Shamsi, visited KPC

Director CEJ, Amber Shamsi, visited us at the Karachi Press Club today. We had a detailed discussion about journalism in Pakistan, including its current and future challenges. We agreed to work closely together to enhance the capacity of journalists, particularly in light of the media's transition to digital platforms. We also deliberated strategies to promote ethical journalism and discourage unethical practices, as well as addressed the issue of disinformation.President KPC Saeed Sarbazi,Veteran journalist Mazhar Abbas,Vice President Mushtaq Sohail, General Secretary KUJ-D Naimat Khan,Treasurer KPC Ehtisham Saeed Qureshi,Members GB.Kulsoom Jehan & M.Farooq Sami, Women Journalists Mona Siddiqui and Sheema Siddiqui were also present.

Senior journalist and editor of The News Talat Aslam has passed away

Senior journalist and Senior Editor The News Talat Aslam pass away on Wednesday. He was 67.
Talat Aslam had worked with several leading newspapers and magazines as an editor in his long journalistic career. 
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) stated that he will be remembered for his wit and warmth, and for mentoring scores of young journalists. 
Senior anchorperson Hamid Mir expressed condolences to the family and friends.
"Sad news. May Allah rest the soul of Talat Aslam in peace," he tweeted.
Federal Minister  for Climate Change Sherry Rehman, in her condolence message, said that it feels like her heart will burst with grief upon hearing that veteran journalist Talat Aslam just passed away. 
"He was the kindest, funniest, wittiest, warmest soul in the whole world. His life was never easy, but he always bore all with a smile. May u be smiling now Tito."
The minister added that Talat Aslam was not just an old-school journalist, with the highest integrity, he was a seasoned English-language editor.
“Our journey mingled at the Herald, where he was anchor even though I was his boss. But he made us all his family, right to the end, wherever we were in life.”

Joint delegation of KUJ and HUJ called on Sindh Information Minister

A joint delegation of Karachi Union of Journalists and Hyderabad Union of Journalists called on Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon.

The delegation included President KUJ Ijaz Ahmed, General Secretary Aajez Jamali, Saeed Jan Baloch, Mohammad Nasir Sharif, Mohammad Rafiq Baloch, Talha Hashmi, Lubna Jarar Naqvi, HUJ's Hamid Sheikh, Junaid Khanzada, Aftab Ahmed.

Secretary Information Sindh Abdul Rashid Solangi, DG Information Ghulam Saqlain and Director Press Information Saleem Khan were also present in the meeting.

KUJ presented a charter of demand to the provincial minister based on the problems of journalists. The establishment of a commission under the Sindh Journalists Protection Bill to provide health and life insurance services to journalists and their families was also discussed.

The provincial minister assured KUJ of steps to address the issues of grants and housing society. The issue of giving grants to the Hyderabad Union of Journalists was also discussed on the occasion. The provincial minister directed the information secretary to include photo journalists in the category of journalists and review the Sindh Journalists Protection Bill.

The provincial minister said that the health insurance of journalists and their families would also be covered. Journalists risk their lives to fulfill their professional responsibilities. Along with health insurance, life insurance is very important for journalists. Sharjeel Inam Memon said that if all journalistic organizations unite, then work out a joint strategy on life insurance with health insurance.

He said that after talking to Chief Minister Sindh, a program of health insurance and life insurance for all certified journalists of Sindh would be launched. The provincial minister said that the unity of journalists was essential for democracy in the country. I urge all journalistic organizations to unite. Distribution divides your power. On the occasion, KUJ General Secretary Aajez Jamali said that he was grateful to Pakistan Peoples Party and Sindh government for always taking practical steps for the welfare of journalists.

Shazia Marri greets KPC, NPC Presidents

Jamili elect President, Khanzada Secretary: Democrats panel sweeps KPC elections

Fazal Jamili and AH Khanzada of the Democrats Panel were respectively elected President and Secretary of the Karachi Press Club (KPC) in the annual elections held on Saturday. The other candidates of the panel, including Nawab Qureshi, Muhammad Hanif and Rizwan Bhatti were respectively elected Vice President, Treasurer and Joint Secretary , while Agha Karam Ali Shah, Hina Mah Gul, Kafeeluddin, Siddiq Chaudhry, Manzoor Chandio, Sajjad Abbasi and Tariq Abul Hasan were elected members of the governing body. Federal Minister for Information, Broadcasting and National Heritage Senator Pervaiz Rashid on Sunday congratulated Fazli Jamili, the newly elected KPC president. He also felicitated Shahryar Khan on his election as President of the National Press Club Islamabad. In his message, the minister also congratulated other office-bearers of the press clubs elected on Saturday. He said the government considered the media an important partner in the development of the country and strengthening democracy in the country. The present democratic government would continue to facilitate media in the performance of their professional obligations, he added.

Jang/Geo journnalists wreak havoc at Karachi Press Club

An unruly group of Jang/Geo Group journalists violently disrupted Cable Operators Association of Pakistan's (COAP) press conference here on Friday afternoon, Samaa reported.

According to sources, as soon as the president of COAP, Khalid Aaraeen started speaking to media at Karachi Press Club (KPC) , dozens of angry Jang Group journos attacked him with barbs of all kinds.

This is for the first time in the history of KPC that "freedom of expression" was so brutally strangled by none other than those who claim to be its biggest proponents.

The argument, which started with an exchange of allegations took a turn for the worst at the very outset of the press briefing. "The wild brawl that ensued left the KPC press conference room in an utter mess", said a Samaa TV reporter.

Shattered windowpanes, broken furniture, mangled electronic equipment, torn-down curtains, and other destroyed property of KPC spoke volumes about the 'Sturm und Drang' it saw in a short time.

After wreaking the mayhem, which analysts say was premeditated, Jang Group staffers succeeded in sending the cable operators packing.

Later talking to Samaa TV, Khalid Araeen condemned Jang Group mediamen’s shameful sabotage of their press conference.

“We were manhandled, threatened, and cursed, by the Jang Group journalists”, said he.

To a question, he said that COAP was not expecting such hooliganism for the so-called educated journalists representing Pakistan's largest media group.

“It was absolutely shocking. They just pounced on us like hungry wolves. We were accused of depriving Jang/Geo employees of their livelihood”, said he.

When asked whether Geo TV's transmission will be shut down, he said, "It’s nothing personal; however, we believe in the recently issued 'fatwa' (religious edict), according to which watching Geo TV is a sin."

He further added that cable operators would not propagate anything that was against Islam.

New media: ‘If you want to be a journalist, be curious’

The first step to becoming a journalist, according to French journalist Julien Le Bot, is to be curious.

Le Bot, who primarily works in digital media, believes that philosophers and journalists have similar characteristics. He added that when he was younger, he wanted to be a philosopher but ended up working in journalism.

While talking about the do’s and don’ts of journalism, Le Bot quoted a couplet from French poet, Charles Pierre Baudelaire, to explain the importance of ‘strolling’. He added that journalists don’t just have to be curious but need to be professional strollers as well in order to get the job done.

Long form

The French journalist said that just like any other field of work, journalism, also needs to catch up with new practices.

“In France, the most innovative projects are produced outside the newsrooms,” he said while talking to The Express Tribune. “After holding workshops in Karachi, I have come to realise that the people here have a lot of potential to explore the emerging and challenging avenues of journalism.” He added that along with new practices, the method of story-telling also has to change – take up issues and make them more exciting.

The 33-year-old journalist said that long form journalism was important. “If you have a story, you engage web developers and use tools to make it interactive and work on it just like any other project,” he said. “The pressure in a newsroom is such that it reaches the point of redundancy. This demotivates journalists from their goals and thus to keep the job moving forward, new modes need to adopted.”

While talking about his own career, Le Bot said that he started working for France24, when he was just 23-years-old and then started a media boot camp called 4M Mashriq, for new media startups in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Palestine.

His trip to Pakistan made him realise that he can take the camp a step further and bring in more training sessions for young journalists who want to explore new avenues of journalism.

“I left routine journalism because I wanted to be free to do what I wanted to work on,” he said. “I did not want to depend on the agenda of newsrooms.” Le Bot added that social media and online newspapers have more readership than broadcast or print. “In France, it’s only the older lot that watches television,” he said. “The young people are only interested in social media, Twitter, for them is like a newspaper.” He added that it was just a matter of time that the same trends would be followed in Pakistan.

Current projects

His company, Yakwala, which is a phonetically arranged word for ‘what happens is now’ provides services to new media startups, civil society organisations and NGOs for making their projects more relevant and digital.

“When you become an online journalist, the entire world is your audience,” he said. “You are free, independent and more vocal in what you want to do and achieve.” He added that for him every journalist must become an online journalist by starting a blog and following up on tools that tell them about their readership and followers.