tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4472972656127949755.post4365158786614766803..comments2023-10-11T07:09:56.988-07:00Comments on Voice of Pakistan: Blackwater's Secret War in PakistanUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4472972656127949755.post-31858893936712350822009-11-24T03:00:44.218-08:002009-11-24T03:00:44.218-08:00International Media Organizations Write to Governm...International Media Organizations Write to Government About The Nation<br />Tuesday, November 17th, 2009 <br /><br />BREAKING: A group of 21 international media organizations has written a letter to Minister of Information and Broadcasting Qamar Zaman Kaira expressing concern about The Nation.<br /><br />The letter is in response to an article by Kaswar Klasra in The Nation earlier this month that – with no evidence or factual support – accused a fellow journalist of being a spy. This group letter to the Minister comes following public condemnation from Committee to Protect Journalists and an appeal from the editor of The Wall Street Journal.<br /><br />The letter is signed by Editors from ABC News, Agence France-Presse, Associated Press, The Guardian, BBC, The Independent, CNN, Al Jazeera, The Economist, Financial Times, Los Angeles Times, France Info, McClatchy Newspapers, National Public Radio, Reuters, The New York Times, TIME, Newsweek, The Times, Radio France Internationale, and The Wall Street Journal.<br /><br />The letter reads as follows:<br /><br />TO: Qamar Zaman Kaira,<br />Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Government of Pakistan <br />4th Floor, Cabinet Block, Pakistan Secretariat, Islamabad<br /><br />RE: Nation article about Wall Street Journal reporter<br /><br />16 November 2009<br /><br />Respected Minister Kaira,<br /><br />We are writing to register our strong concern at a recent development that has caused alarm among international media organizations working in Pakistan.<br /><br />On November 5, The Nation newspaper published a front page article accusing Matthew Rosenberg, a correspondent for The Wall Street Journal, of working for the C.I.A., Israeli intelligence and the U.S. military contractor Blackwater.<br /><br />Mr. Rosenberg is a respected journalist of high standing. Not only was the article unsubstantiated, it critically compromised his security and raised questions about whether he can return to Pakistan to work safely in the future.<br /><br />The article also has broader implications. These are difficult times for all journalists in Pakistan. Our employees already face an array of threats, including violence and kidnapping, as they strive to provide timely and accurate coverage. Now those risks have been needlessly increased.<br /><br />We strongly support press freedoms across the world. But this irresponsible article endangered the life of one journalist and could imperil others. It is particularly upsetting that this threat has come from among our own colleagues.<br /><br />We recognize that courageous Pakistani journalists routinely face greater dangers than their international counterparts. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, five Pakistani journalists have been killed in the past 12 months alone. And we are heartened that several Pakistani media organizations have denounced The Nation’s story.<br /><br />But we are also concerned that an incident of this kind – tarring a foreign reporter as a spy – could occur again. We ask the government of Pakistan to take note of this story and to take all necessary steps to ensure the safety of all media personnel in future.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4472972656127949755.post-33470146143385550002009-11-24T02:59:29.706-08:002009-11-24T02:59:29.706-08:00The Nation Inciting Murder?
Weaving fantastic sto...The Nation Inciting Murder?<br /><br />Weaving fantastic stories out of rumour and innuendo is nothing new to The Nation, but yesterday’s article by Kaswar Klasra represents a new low in journalistic ethics and could result in the murder of fellow journalists.<br /><br />In yesterday’s article, “Journalists as spies in FATA,” Mr. Klasra claims that journalists in NWFP and FATA are secretly spies for foreign intelligence agencies. While any self-respecting editor worthy of the title would require significant evidence before putting someone’s life in mortal danger by accusing them of being a spy, no such evidence exists in the article.<br /><br />But Mr. Klasra goes beyond mere conspiracy theory and outright accuses a reporter for the American newspaper Wall Street Journal by name. The reporter, Matthew Rosenberg, has been reporting from South Asia for years, typically publishing articles with such unremarkable titles as, “India Rejects US Carbon Limits Plan,” and “US Courts Former Warlords in Its Bid for Afghan Stability”. Hardly the stuff spy novels are made of.<br /><br />Instead of facts, Mr. Klasra offers as evidence unsubstantiated anonymous rumours such from “an official of law enforcement agency” and loose innuendo based in unrelated facts. For example, Mr. Klasra quotes a former intelligence officer as saying that the CIA has used journalistic cover in the past. While this very well may be true, the statement does not refer to Pakistan, thus bringing no bearing on the journalists currently reporting from Pakistan. This is a textbook of example of the Fallacy of False Inference.<br /><br />Mr. Klasra goes on to accuse the reporter of threatening individuals who refuse to themselves become agents. In addition to providing no evidence – not even a fabricated quote by an anonymous “official” – this accusuation by Mr. Klasra is purely ridiculous on its face. What good would a person be as a secret agent if they have to be threatened?<br /><br />This situation is troublingly reminiscent of the case of another Wall Street Journal reporter, Daniel Pearl. In 2002, Daniel Pearl was brutally murdered in Karachi by al Qaeda terrorists who, like Kaswar Klasra, claimed with no evidence that the journalist was a secret agent – first of the CIA, then of the Mossad. Despite international efforts to gain the safe release of the innocent journalist, the terrorists murdered Daniel Pearl on video camera. We pray this horrific event is not repeated.<br /><br />Not content with the standard level of sensational tabloid journalism The Nation has come to represent, with today’s article, Mr. Klasra drags The Nation to a new low. That his editor approved the piece demonstrates a level of irresponsibility unrivaled in her field. If any harm comes to Mr. Rosenberg, The Nation will be in part responsible. Kaswar Klasra and his editor, Shireen Mazari, will have the blood of a fellow journalist on their hands.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com