Where’s the ghairat brigade now?
When Pakistan’s image is “tainted” we thirst for blood but some holy cows get away with doing so over and over again without fear. The News is one of them. Remember the wiki leaks they made up?
So when this absolutely incredible story broke, I just didn’t take it seriously simply because it was coming from The News. Had it been published in Dawn, I wouldn’t have been sceptical simply because I know it is the ONLY newspaper in Pakistan that is ethical. The News simply isn’t.
This story ended up circulating the world. People the world over wanted to help this poor man whose heart wrenching tale tugged at their heart strings. Instead, they were told it was an elaborate hoax, reinforcing a stereotypical image of the greedy, corrupt Pakistani crying wolf over and over again.
So whose heads will roll? Who will be held accountable for this “shame” on our “national image”? Will there be any responsibility or apology? Or will the Jang group get away with it again like all those aligned with the deep state do?
I did not read the story because the synopsis had already been shared on Twitter. For some strange reason I did not feel anything when it came to this story though I generally tend to feel bad when I read about stuff like that . However I still believed it was true and was gullible like nearly everyone else. The reporter of the story is accountable because he did not research his story before publishing. They need to publish an apology as soon as possible. There were a few discrepancies in the story and yet we believed whatever we were told. It was also interesting that within 24 hours of the appeal they found the alleged victim. I was amazed that the police could do that so fast and yet not recover high profile people who are still in the custody of their abductors.
Comment by shobz — January 12, 2012 @ 5:44 pm |
I can sympathise with everyone who believed this story because, heck, after all, this is Pakistan where all sorts of atrocities are taking place. Nothing is really unbelievable for many of us here anymore.
The reporter is obviously responsible here but so is the newspaper. The News is a repeat offender. Even their columnists write unverified rants often quoting “unnamed sources” etc. All the activists involved should, ideally, hold the entire organisation responsible and make them apologise for this. The owners of The News MUST feel the heat in order to want to make a change.
Comment by Nabiha Meher — January 12, 2012 @ 5:58 pm |