Filed under: Media | Tagged: Dorothy Parvaz, journalism, Middle East | 1 Comment »
PERSONAL POLITICAL: Confessions of a tweet addict
Posted on March 18, 2011 by beenasarwar
My column Personal Political in Hardnews, India, written a couple of weeks ago. Was too caught up in event on the ground and forgot to post it. Still relevant.
Beena Sarwar
I admit it. I’m addicted to twitter.
Like many others, the first time I heard about this ‘social networking tool’, my initial response was, “What’s the point?”
It was in spring 2006, at the end of a journalism fellowship in the USA. “Try it,” urged Jeb Sharp, a radio journalist. “It’s cool. You can update friends about what you’re thinking or doing and you have to do it in 140 characters or less.”
Out of curiosity, I made myself a twitter account. The whole thing seemed a bit silly. The twitter icon is a little blue bird. The messages you post are called ‘tweets’. It all sounds very fluffy and twittery. And why create a twitter account if you have facebook? Continue reading
Filed under: Media | Tagged: #pkfloods, @beenasarwar, Activism, aman ki asha, Egypt, Hardnews, Himal Southasian, Jehan Ara, Media, Pakistan, social networking, twitter | 7 Comments »
20 years of The News: Witness to history
Posted on February 28, 2011 by beenasarwar
If you haven’t got the print edition – a 99-page collector’s item – check out this PDF copy of The News 20th Anniversary issue. Articles by Maleeha Lodhi, Ghazi Salahuddin, Azhar Abbas, Rahimullah Yusufzai, Sahar Ali, Amir Zia, Khaliq Zuberi, Farah Zia, Salman Rashid, Talath Naqvi, Zia Mohyeddin, Umber Khairi, Maheen Usmani, Sarwat Ali (my ‘encyclopaedia’), Anil Dutta, Shafqat Mahmood, Mayed Ali, Masood Hasan, Amir Mateen, Khalid Hussain (who took over as Sports Editor after Gul Hameed Bhatti’s illness), cartoonist Akhter Shah, and many others who have been part of this venture if not from the start then almost from the start. Many have been associated with The News on Sunday (TNS). Includes my piece on TNS, posted to this blog earlier. Well done, Sheher Bano, for putting this together. And thanks for including the section commemorating colleagues who are no longer with us, like Kaleeem Omar, Zulekha Ali, Najma Hazir, Hameed Zaman and others. May they rest in peace.
Filed under: Media | Tagged: Amir Mateen, Amir Zia, Anil Dutta, Azhar Abbas, cartoonist Akhter Shah, Farah Zia, ghazi salahuddin, Gul Hameed Bhatti, Hameed Zaman, Kaleeem Omar, Khalid Hussain sports, Khaliq Zuberi, Maheen Usmani, Maleeha Lodhi, Masood Hasan, Mayed Ali, Najma Hazir, Rahimullah Yusufzai, Sahar Ali, Salman Rashid, Sarwat Ali, Shafqat Mahmood, Talath Naqvi, tns, Umber Khairi, Zia Mohyeddin, Zulekha Ali | 1 Comment »
Changing the media landscape – article about ‘The News on Sunday’ for The News 20th anniversary issue)
Posted on February 26, 2011 by beenasarwar
Editor with Reporter: Probably discussing what to get for lunch. Photo: Rahat Ali Dar
For The News 20th anniversary supplement, published Feb 22, 2011.
The News on Sunday: Changing the media landscape
By Beena Sarwar
The News on Sunday was launched in 1994, as The News on Friday, Pakistan’s first weekend newspaper – Friday was then a weekly holiday. In 1997, the name change itself reflected the ideological confusions that abound in Pakistan, where religion is freely used for political purposes, and as an excuse to retain the status quo.
Clearly, religion is conveniently dispensed with if it clashes with, say, financial interests, as when Nawaz Sharif, the country’s businessman-prime minister who was otherwise careful to keep the ‘religious’ lobby happy, reverted to Sunday as Pakistan’s weekly holiday. In doing so, he overturned a move made 20 years earlier by Z.A. Bhutto who had sought to consolidate power by playing the religious card. Nawaz Sharif’s decision was motivated by financial considerations, over-ruling the opposition of the conservatives. It indicated that anything is possible with political will, even reversing a decision taken in the name of religion. Continue reading
Filed under: Media | Tagged: Alefia T Hussain, arif shamim, Ashaar Rehman, Ather Shehzad, Farah Zia, Fareshteh Gati, farjad nabi, Gul Hameed Bhatti, Imran Aslam, Kamila Hyat, Karen Pasha, khalid hussain, mazhar zaidi, owais tohid, rahat dar, Salman Rashid, Sarwat Ali, Shehzad Amjad, Tom K Maliti | 2 Comments »
Punjab government urged to enact Right to Information law
Posted on January 25, 2011 by beenasarwar
From Zahid Abdullah of CDPI:
Press Release
Punjab government urged to enact Right to information law for province
Islamabad, January 25, 2011: Despite being the biggest province that houses well over half country’s total population, province of Punjab has not carry out legislation on right to information, effectively denying its residents access to information held by provincial departments. PML N leadership has been championing the cause of transparent and open government and its leader Mian Nawaz Sharif has exerted pressure on the federal government to be more open and transparent in its functioning. Continue reading
Filed under: Media | Tagged: Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives, CPDI, Pakistan, punjab, right to information | Leave a comment »
ACT AGAINST WIKILEAKS CRACKDOWN – Avaaz.org
Posted on December 10, 2010 by beenasarwar
Courtesy: Avaaz.org
An appeal from Avaaz.org that I’m re-producing in full (followed by some links) because it’s not easy to find on their website, although the call to sign their campaign is on the front page:
Dear friends,
The massive campaign of intimidation against WikiLeaks is sending a chill through free press advocates everywhere.
Legal experts say WikiLeaks has likely broken no laws. Yet top US politicians have called it a terrorist group and commentators have urged assassination of its staff. The organization has come under massive government and corporate attack, but WikiLeaks is only publishing information provided by a whistleblower. And it has partnered with the world’s leading newspapers (NYT, Guardian, Spiegel etc) to carefully vet the information it publishes. >
Filed under: Media | Tagged: Activism, avaaz, avaaz.org, democracy, free press, freedom of information, hacktivist, Media, wikileaks | 2 Comments »
Pakistan journalists in London October 9-17
Posted on October 5, 2010 by beenasarwar
Pakistan journalists tour of London October 9-17
Speakers:
Qatrina Hosain, Director, Current Affairs, Express News
Rahimullah Yusufzai, Executive Editor, Peshawar, The News
Beena Sarwar, Editor, Special Projects, Jang Group (Aman ki Asha)
Mustafa Qadri, Journalist, The Guardian, Radio Australia, The Diplomat
Oct 11: Chatham House, 6-7 pm (NOTE: members only event)
Oct 13: SOAS, 6-8 pm (no registration required)
Oct 15: The Guardian, 7 pm
Oct 16: British Pakistan Foundation launch (TBC).
For inquiries, contact Mustafa Quadri <syed_mustafa_qadri@yahoo.com.au>. Details:
Filed under: Media | Tagged: mustafa quadri, pakistani journalists london tour, quatrina hosain, quatrina hussain, Rahimullah Yusufzai, talat hussain | 1 Comment »
Hem Chandra Pandey and “Role of Journalists in Undeclared Emergency”
Posted on July 18, 2010 by beenasarwar
The cold blooded murder of freelance journalist, Hem Chandra Pandey, on July 2 in an armed ‘encounter’ in Andhra Pradesh in which police eliminated a leader of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist), has caused widespread outrage. See IFJ’s press release here, and UNESCO’s condemnation here. Below, open invitation for a seminar on “Role of Journalists in Undeclared Emergency”, July 20, in New Delhi Continue reading
Filed under: Media | 2 Comments »
PERSONAL POLITICAL: Smarter than a seventh grader?
Posted on June 3, 2010 by beenasarwar
Image courtesy: Laurel Papworth
My Hardnews column for June
New Delhi, May 23 (the ban was lifted on May 31)
PERSONAL POLITICAL: Smarter than a seventh grader?
Beena Sarwar
“What would you do if they banned facebook here?” I asked Zainab, 13, whose parents, old friends from Pakistan, are posted in Delhi. I was here for an Aman ki Asha conference of Indian and Pakistani CEOs and entrepreneurs where high-powered delegates affirmed the need for economic cooperation between the two countries. Continue reading
Filed under: Media | Tagged: Ahmad Rafay Alam, draw mohammad day, facebook ban pakistan, lahore high court | 1 Comment »
Freedom Flotilla Pakistanis detained by Israel handed over to Jordan
Posted on June 2, 2010 by beenasarwar
Update: TV anchor Talat Hussain and two other Pakistanis have been handed over to Jordan, Interior Minister Senator Rehman Malik has confirmed, talking to Geo TV News. Special arrangements have been made to fly them back tomorrow.
Filed under: Media | Tagged: freedom flotilla, israeli aggression, pakistanis, talat hussain | 1 Comment »
Journeys to democracy 
