McCarthyism: the practice of making accusations of disloyalty, especially of pro-Communist activity, in many instances unsupported by proof or based on slight, doubtful, or irrelevant evidence. the practice of making unfair allegations or using unfair investigative techniques, especially in order to restrict dissent or political criticism. --- a mid-20th century political attitude characterized chiefly by opposition to elements held to be subversive and by the use of tactics involving personal attacks on individuals by means of widely publicized indiscriminate allegations especially on the basis of unsubstantiated charges; broadly : defamation of character or reputation through such tactics. Originally coined to criticize the anti-communist pursuits of Republican U.S. Senator Joseph McCarthy of Wisconsin, "McCarthyism" soon took on a broader meaning, describing the excesses of similar efforts. The term is also now used more generally to describe reckless, unsubstantiated accusations, as well as demagogic attacks on the character or patriotism of political adversaries.
June 2012: Karachi: Tolerance seemed to be have ended in the Pakistan’s society as we have always heard about politicians, lawyers, doctors and other people belonging to different walks of life fighting each other, but now there is another fight gearing up in the media between Najam Sethi (Geo News), Talat Hussain (Dawn News) and Mubashir Lucman (Dunya News). The quarrel between Najam and Talat started when Talat Hussain in his program, News Night with Talat, accused that the word ‘Chirya’, used by Sethi for his source, was none other than Pakistani business tycoon Malik Riaz, main character of Arsalan Iftikhar scandal. Talat further said that Malik Riaz himself has unveiled that he is the ‘chirya’ of Najam Sethi and after gathering information from him Sethi present it in his night show. Responding to Talat’s word, Najam Sethi in his program, Aapas ki Baat Najam Sethi K Sath, said that he (Talat) was speaking a lie about his association with Malik Riaz and he would sent a legal notice to the anchor for his irresponsible allegation. “He (Talat Hussain) is a CIA agent as according to wiki-leaks document, two Pakistanis including Talat Hussain were working for Stratford, a spy agency working for CIA,” Sethi said. Furthermore, furious Najam Sethi didn’t stop after lashing out at Talat Hussain and started talking about Mubashir Lucman. Sethi said that earlier Lucman propagated a lie about him that he was a US national, which was totally a senseless allegation. “I have not acquired US citizenship. I am a Pakistani and I would be a Pakistani,” the Geo News analyst claimed. He further said that Lucman also alleged that his daughter was working for late Richard Halbrooke, US special envoy to Pakistan and Afghanistan. The analyst further said that he had sent a legal notice to Mubashir Lucman on which the High Court directed Lucman to avoid putting false allegations on him. Note: Watch last 20 mins for Talat’s allegation against Sethi while last 15 minutes for Sethi’s allegation and reply. REFERENCE: Malik Riaz, the ‘chirya’ of Najam Sethi: Talat Hussain By Abdullah Zafar - Jun 7th, 2012 http://www.thenewstribe.com/2012/06/07/malik-riaz-the-chirya-of-najam-sethi-talat-hussain/#.T9GL7bDrr0x
Is media involved in a coverup in CJ’s son case? June 8th, 2012 http://pakistanmediawatch.com/2012/06/08/is-media-involved-in-a-coverup-in-cjs-son-case/ Kamran Khan GEO TV on Malik Riaz Payroll http://urdu.thenewstribe.com/archives/180679
Bahria Town Advertisement for Dawn 11 June 2012 - Talat Hussain Alleged Rough Programs on Malik Riaz gets Advertisement from Mailk Riaz PAGE 2 Dawn 11/6/2012 http://epaper.dawn.com/Advt.php?StoryImage=11_06_2012_002_006
News Night with Talat -- 6th June 2012 p3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nG3ucCH1PCs
"QUOTE"
Lt Gen Shahid Aziz quoted Lt Gen Khalid Maqbool, a former NAB Chairman, as saying while trying to convince him that:
"If you stop corruption, there will be no development. If ministers and politicians are not given personal benefits in contracts, why would they pursue development schemes? They have to be given personal incentives...contracts to their sons and kinship."
Once Gen Musharraf had personally called him and asked him:
‘.... drop the name of one Malik Riaz Hussain from the exit control list. (Riaz Hussain was one of prime accused in a multi-million-forest land scam) As President of Pakistan, I give my personal guarantee that he (Malik Riaz) would not run away. Isn't a personal guarantee of the President of Pakistan sufficient to satisfy you'? Malik's name was removed from the ECL subsequently. NAB; A page from our history Inam R Sehri http://www.seamonitors.org/id148.html
He said when he put the name of Malik Riaz Hussain (of Bahria Town) in the exit control list while investigating a forest land case, he had to face bitter arguments with President Musharraf to take out Malik`s name from the ECL. “As President of Pakistan, I give my personal guarantee that he (Malik Riaz) would not run away. Isn`t a personal guarantee of the President of Pakistan sufficient to satisfy you”, he quoted Mr Musharraf as saying. Malik`s name was pulled out of the ECL subsequently, he said. REFERENCE: Musharraf stopped probes, says ex-chief of NAB By Khaleeq Kiani 6th December 2009 http://archives.dawn.com/archives/37897
"UNQUOTE"
What About this Romance of Dawn News/Haroon Family with General Pervez Musharraf
Hameed Haroon & Dawn News "Lecture" but Dawn News Censors.
KARACHI, May 24: DawnNews, Pakistan’s first English language TV news channel, will commence its test transmission on Friday (May 25) evening from its head office in Karachi. The 24-hour DawnNews broadcast will be fed by a network of newsrooms and studios located in Karachi, Islamabad and Lahore and supported by a string of news bureaus in other cities and towns in the country. Owned by Pakistan Herald Publications (Pvt) Ltd, the publishers of DAWN, the network has over 300 journalists working under the Director News, Mr Azhar Abbas. Mr Abbas has had a distinguished career in electronic and print journalism. He was formerly managing director of GEO News. The network also has a team of veteran journalists and qualified newcomers demonstrating a strong reliance on agenda-broadening areas, such as environment, education and fine arts. “The synergy of a young generation of film-makers and news journalists at DawnNews is expected to gradually transform Pakistan’s information scene,” says a spokesman for Pakistan Herald Publications. REFERENCE: DawnNews TV’s test transmission from today May 25, 2007 Friday Jamadi-ul-Awwal 08, 1428 http://archives.dawn.com/dawnftp/72.249.57.55/dawnftp/2007/05/25/top4.htm Pakistani Journalists Living in Government Houses - Part - 6 (Matiullah Jan Dawn News)
URL: http://youtu.be/b0GqTZbvCOc
“In our endeavour to establish DawnNews we are enormously helped by our legacy – The legacy of DAWN, that was founded by the Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah on 14th August 1947 in Karachi, the same day our nation was born. We believe that by facilitating access to information of the highest quality and with a defined commitment to clarity and accuracy, we can enable Pakistan’s young generations to assume their place as informed citizens of the world.” The commencement of test transmission for the public is expected to be marked by a simple ceremony at the headquarters of DawnNews in Karachi. The news channel is being transmitted free to air as of Friday and may be viewed in Pakistan either via cable or through a satellite receiver. Its satellite footprint covers a wide area stretching from the Middle East across South Asia, up to Malaysia and Singapore. At present the transmission is being conducted courtesy a temporary up-linking permission granted by Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra). The prospects for acquiring a permanent licence for DawnNews inched a few steps ahead last week when a public advertisement issued by Pemra announced the holding of mandatory public hearings in Karachi on May 30, usually set up prior to the issuance of a licence. REFERENCE: DawnNews TV’s test transmission from today May 25, 2007 Friday Jamadi-ul-Awwal 08, 1428 http://archives.dawn.com/dawnftp/72.249.57.55/dawnftp/2007/05/25/top4.htm
Apna Gareban "Forcibly Closed" Dawn News Censorship. (Courtesy BBC)
URL: http://youtu.be/o4rXfpxFNps
صحافیوں کا’گریبان‘ پروگرام بند
آخری وقت اشاعت: جمعرات 30 جون 2011 , 16:34 GMT 21:34 PST
اپنے گریبان میں جھانکنا کتنا مشکل ہے، یہ بات مطیع اللہ جان اچھی طرح جان گئے ہیں۔ ڈان نیوز کے اینکر پرسن نے اس عنوان سے اپنا پروگرام شروع کیا تھا جس میں کسی اور کی نہیں بلکہ اپنے ہی طبقے یعنی صحافیوں کا احتساب کیا گیا۔ لیکن یہ پروگرام زیادہ دیر نہیں چل سکا اور بقول مطیع اللہ جان کے اس کے ایک پروگرام کی ریکارڈنگ جاری تھی کہ اسے بند کرنا پڑا۔ اسلام آباد سے آصف فاروقی کی رپورٹ:
But Jinnah had never dreamt of Controlled and Guided Democracy by Military Dictator as well as he never dreamt of that a Military Dictator would be addressing a forum founded by a Lawyer of Impeccable Character i.e. Mohammad Ali Jinnah
KARACHI, May 25: President Pervez Musharraf on Friday described the media as the country’s first line of defence and assured of unhindered support for the freedom of expression, but at the same time warned against the growing trend of sensationalisation, and said that repeated projection of gory incidents and violence on television was brutalising society. He was speaking at a ceremony to launch the test transmission of DawnNews television. While praising the launching of the country’s first 24-hour English language news channel, President Musharraf described it as a unique event. But at the same time he did not hesitate in taking full credit for the mushrooming of private television channels, saying that whatever freedom there was in the country it was only because of him. “I alone had insisted that we must give them freedom so that the media could hold everyone accountable,” he said while recalling the early years in power when he had framed the media policy.
Gen Musharraf rejected the long-stated view of the journalist fraternity that the freedom of press in the country was the result of their campaign and persistent demand and said he was not aware of any such demand when he decided to ‘give this freedom’. It was quite apparent that the president had come to the launching ceremony to not just praise the media, or take credit for his policy, but also to speak his mind about the prevailing trends in newspapers and television channels. And although he repeatedly assured the select audience, and the country at large, that such level of independence would continue, President Musharraf’s insistence was that such freedom should come with a certain level of responsibility. He gave examples from the television coverage of the war in Iraq, and said while western media never showed bodies of their own soldiers, they had no hesitation in showing the images of the bodies of Saddam Hussain and his sons. The other example he gave was of the recent killings in one of the schools in the United States by a gunman, and said the American television networks made a conscious decision not to show the dead bodies. While presenting his argument, President Musharraf raised the issue of what he described as the trend of repeatedly showing gory images, blood and killings. He said such images were telecast round the clock as if they were from an India-Pakistan cricket match. Similarly, he said the way religious extremism was glorified by showing militants in Waziristan, or the clerics of Lal Masjid, and the manner in which their views were aired, amounted to ‘brutalisation of society’.
Indirectly holding the media partly responsible for the state of affairs in the country, President Musharraf said it was creating unnecessary alarm amongst overseas Pakistani and other potential investors. He was of the view that if the media failed to demonstrate what he called a certain level of responsibility in the projection of Pakistan, then it may have a negative impact on the economic and social progress of the country. He then went on to present a long list of development activities and his government’s achievements in the fields of economy, education, telecommunication, and even human rights. He said there were thousands of such projects that he was in a position to highlight, but according to him, the media had little time to report on such matters. In his words, the media was only interested in projecting negative events. President Musharraf said like in many other countries, in Pakistan too the media need to consider what was in the nation’s interest. He said while it was equally important to present, what he described as negative stories, President Musharraf said in order to raise the morale of the people, the media must also highlight ‘positive events’.
Touching on the present state of affairs, President Musharraf said the feedback he was getting through interaction, and not merely from the intelligence agencies, was that the majority was pleased with his policies. He described the demonstrations held in support of the chief justice as politically motivated events by a few, and claimed that the bulk of the population in the country was with him. He even gave the example of the turnout in some of the rallies he had recently addressed, and said although buses for bringing the people had to be hired, “more than 90 per cent people attended these public meetings on their own as they wanted to listen to what I had to say”. He said one of the biggest challenges faced by the country was the scourge of extremism and terrorism. He was of the view that if the media made a conscious effort to support the government on this issue, it may become extremely easy to tackle this problem.
Earlier, in his welcome address Hameed Haroon, chief executive of the Dawn group of newspapers, presented the history and traditions followed by Dawn since its first publication 60 years ago by Quaid-i-Azam Mohammed Ali Jinnah. Mr Haroon said although DawnNews was being run by a new and much younger team, its philosophy was not going to any different from that of Dawn newspaper. Agencies add: The president said he was a firm believer that ‘a free and vibrant media’ was good for the country. “Media is the fourth pillar of the state. I see it as the first line of defence and an essential ingredient of democracy, but it has to be responsible,” he observed. “I expect a balanced and true picture that can provide confidence to Pakistanis living abroad and here I believe media can contribute tremendously towards fighting extremism and terrorism,” the president said. He felt a ‘negative projection’ of the country might affect the economy by scaring investors away.“We need to develop national cohesion, underplay what can lower the nation’s morale and encourage what can raise it.” REFERENCE: ‘Media first line of defence’: DawnNews TV’s test transmission By Our Staff Reporter May 26, 2007 Saturday Jamadi-ul-Awwal 09, 1428 http://archives.dawn.com/dawnftp/72.249.57.55/dawnftp/2007/05/26/top4.htm
Najam Sethi is suing Mubahser Lucman for Rs 1 billion alleging defamation. Documents reveal that the case is based on statements by Lucman considered to be “false and malicious allegations due to the current tense political situation in the country, especially high level of anti-Americanism…intentionally aimed at provoking and inciting mobs or extremists to engage in physical violence”. REFERENCE: Najam Sethi sues Mubasher Lucman for defamation, inciting violence June 7th, 2012 http://pakistanmediawatch.com/2012/06/07/najam-sethi-sues-mubasher-lucman-for-defamation-inciting-violence/
Aapas ki baat - 6th june 2012 part 4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1l7_31dJpU8
Najam Sethi Sues Mubasher Lucman for Defamation Inciting Violence
Shaheen Sehbai (Present Group Editor The News International of Jang Group/Geo TV) on January 05, 2000: The integrity check should simultaneously be launched by the peers of the profession at whatever forum they think would be appropriate. Perhaps this first hurdle may be the only big hurdle and may never be crossed. The peers, naturally those who come out unscathed and "clean", should sit down to formulate lists of those who have been publicly demonstrating a lack of intellectual, moral and professional integrity. Big names like Minhaj Barna, Mushahid Hussain, Maleeha Lodhi, Wajid Shamsul Hassan, Nazir Naji, Ataul Haq Qasmi, Ayaz Amir, Hussain Haqqani, Irshad Ahmed Haqqani, Najam Sethi, Nasim Zehra, Jamiluddin Aali and many others who sought or accepted political, diplomatic or government jobs, or joined political parties as activists, should be asked to explain why they did not quit journalism to do so and why they continued to use the profession to get, keep or regain lucrative jobs or positions of power. How do they retain, or claim to retain, their objectivity and credibility, once they have demonstrated their political ambitions. In the least they should have apologised to the profession. Some of them have been going in and out of journalism so frequently as if the profession was a revolving door only to be used when they needed a push to restore their lost position of political, economic or administrative influence and power. Some others, like the once-revered Minhaj Barna, who led the trade union movement of journalists and whose "Barna Group" of Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists still exists, accepted so petty, temporary and at times demeaning jobs that the entire profession could only hang its head in shame. Scenes when stalwarts of the profession like him were seen waiting outside offices of petty bureaucrats in Islamabad’s corridors of power, to get an extension of their foreign assignment were, to say the least, despicable, bringing no merit to Pakistani journalism. I would never forget a supposedly well known name in today's op-ed pages who, in order to "please" a lady ambassador in Washington, turned himself into her private photographer and started taking her pictures with all those present at a grand farewell dinner thrown at her official residence. For three hours this newspaper columnist behaved like a personal privately hired professional. He even carried his "act of sycophancy" to the next day at the airport where people went to see her off, clicking rolls and rolls of pictures with the ambassador sitting, standing, waving and smiling at every Tom, Dick, Harry and Larry. Even junior embassy staffers started making jokes about this senior journalist and his "buttering skills". To his ultimate disgrace, he was never obliged by the slick ambassador, despite his publicly self-demeaning conduct. But later these very skills worked well with the successor political government and he landed a cushy government job in Islamabad. The moment the government was ousted, his columns started attacking his previous employers. Still he retains his claim to be an "impartial and objective" analyst and writer and does not include himself in the long list of trapeze artists that crowd the media circus in Pakistan. REFERENCE: Who will Bell the Bad, Fat Cats? by Shaheen Sehbai January 05, 2000 http://www.chowk.com/Views/Who-will-Bell-the-Bad-Fat-Cats
Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry Family Gate Scandal Trap Story Disclosed By Shaheen Sehbai
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdvoar755Wc
Nayyar Zaidi (Also contributed for The News/Jang) January 27, 2000 : This article is in response to Mr Shaheen Sehbai's Who will bell the bad, fat cats?. The author would like to clarify that it is not a personal attack, but an attempt to question the ideas and personal allegations expressed in the above article. In the words of the author, What proof did Mr Sehbai offer that the 12 people mentioned in the article had become millionaire(s) overnight and that the wealth they allegedly earned was unlawful? "Who will bell the bad, fat cats?" This is a model piece of journalism i.e. it "reflects superficial thought and research, a popular slant and hurried composition...as distinguished from scholarly writing."(Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language). We all live in the proverbial glass house. Of course, anyone may decide if and when to cast the first stone. You have recklessly exercised that option. It is one thing to "measure" someone by a "yardstick". However, it is downright cruel to flog people publicly with what you may misguidedly characterize as a "yardstick". You refer to Minhaj Barna as "the once-revered...who led the trade union movement of journalists... (but) accepted so petty, temporary and at times demeaning jobs that the entire profession could only hang its head in shame...." Barna Saheb is still revered! What is a "petty" and "demeaning" job? Did he put an honest day's work in whatever job he held? Was he qualified for the job, no matter how petty and demeaning? It is better to do a demeaning job than to demean the job one does.
The "entire profession" of journalism ought to have hung its head in shame not because Barna Saheb allegedly sought and accepted "demeaning jobs" but because he had to do so. He did so much for this "entire profession" and yet none of its self proclaimed vigilantes came to his rescue in his old age and in his time of need. What do you want? Journalists of "integrity" should murder their families and then commit suicide in their twilight years simply to please hypocrites among their ranks? Without responsibilities, we are all capable of being very bold. It is the welfare of those whom we love that makes us stoop--sometime to our own disliking. There is no such thing as objective and/or independent journalism. Let me give you an insight into the proper use of analogies because an analogy contains the genetic map, so to speak, showing you exactly the nature of the beast.
Media is called a watchdog, correct? The analogy of a watchdog tells us that it is definitely "owned" to protect certain specific interests. A watchdog is always on a leash. The owners must ensure that the dog doesn't relieve itself on the property of others just because it perceives itself as an "independent dog"! The watchdog is supposed to bark only at strangers and outsiders. If it barks at the owners or at fellow dogs, it becomes an irritation--not to be tolerated indefinitely. The day it bites or attempts to bite, it is put to sleep. For the time being, I am leaving your subtleties alone. But tell me, since when has someone trying "to please a lady...in Washington" has required observers to send a reference to the Journalistic Accountability Bureau (JAB)?
You are from Peshawar. Be understanding of the fundamental human right that "Har Bandey Nu'n Dil Peshauri Karan Da Hukk Hai" (Sorry folks, this cannot be translated). As for taking photographs at a farewell dinner or at the airport, let me say that "parting is such sweet sorrow" that I don't blame anyone for preserving it on the film for pure academic pleasure later on. You accuse "stalwarts of the profession" of "waiting outside the offices of petty bureaucrats" to "get an extension of their foreign assignment". Every journalist is not fortunate enough to have an unabashed practitioner of nepotism as an uncle at a major newspaper. Please understand that God Almighty did not allow us to choose our parents. The same goes about uncles! So, don't rub it in! The Pakistani "journalists" living or stationed here (in the West)have no right to judge their distant peers who live and practice journalism in a totally different environment. The only exception would be those who come out in public moaning and groaning about being victimized. We do not need an Altaf Hussain of journalism in United States! If you wish to hold peers accountable, a proper way is to evaluate their work and products. This can be done by taking specific stories and columns and measuring them with the "yardstick"of journalistic and linguistic principles. This may be done in a "media watch" type of column. Using your own approach, of suspecting the motives (the hidden agendas), please consider this (and correct me, if I am wrong): The DAWN-USA.com is a business for profit web-site owned by you and/or your immediate family. You have advertisers who sponsor on the basis of "traffic" to the web-site. Your advertising rate also depends on the number of people who visit.
Please answer these questions, if you have any respect whatsoever for your own "credibility", if any, and "integrity", if any:
1) Are you losing your main source of income (DAWN Correspondent) in near future and, therefore, need to boost your income from other sources (like your web-site business)?
2) Have your web-site revenues fallen to a point where advertisers may withdraw unless you boost the traffic?
3) Or, you already have or plan to ask the advertisers to increase their rates because of the purported or anticipated increased traffic to your web site (as a result of this reckless attack on the professional integrity of your peers and others)?
It is this last possibility that disturbed me enough to oppose your approach. You may continue this disconcerting approach simply to maintain traffic to your web-site. By wilfully using a "popular slant" (see para three) you may be trying to increase your income at the expense of other peoples' reputations. This sort of attack is not protected by First Amendment, to the best of my belief. Please consult your lawyers (if it is Maggio & Kattar, please show it to them for your own sake, please). I give unsolicited advice only when I believe that irreparable harm could be caused to someone, if I (temporarily or forever) held both my peace and piece! The added controversy that may follow my response, may help you in the short-run, increasing "traffic" to your web-site. Perhaps, you used the term yardstick only as a figure of speech. It is one nasty instrument in real life. It is 36 inches long, it is very stiff and, if applied ruthlessly, it causes unbearable pain. This is why the prudent amongst us do not ask for it! REFERENCE: Only A Rat Asks Who Will Bell The Cat! by Nayyar Zaidi January 27, 2000 Nayyar Zaidi is a Washington-based writer and commentator on South Asian and Islamic affairs. He has been a subject matter expert for CNN since 1986 and has also appeared on major networks like CBS, ABC, PBS. http://www.chowk.com/Views/Only-A-Rat-Asks-Who-Will-Bell-The-Cat
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