The Dark Side of News Fixing by Syed Irfan Ashraf

Author:Syed Irfan Ashraf [Ashraf, Syed Irfan]
Language: spa
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781839981371
Barnesnoble:
Goodreads: 59351612
Publisher: Anthem Press
Published: 2021-11-01T00:00:00+00:00

Unethical Journalism: News Practices

When asked about the most challenging part of their work, the bureau journalists brought up their reporting on the tribal areas. “Fixers” were told by their employers to move away from the relative safety of Peshawar to get the work done in sparsely populated hilly and conflict-ridden regions. District reporters, who generally reported from these areas, did not have the training to understand how to meet global networks’ technical and editorial requirements while staying focused on protecting themselves from the challenges and risks of field reporting. In these areas, the Taliban’s anti-US protests had already taken a militant turn, rendering coverage dangerous and physically draining, at the same time creating room for many young and inexperienced Pashtun reporters to come forward and work as “fixers.”

Shamim, a veteran of Afghan war reporting, recommended Shahid Khalil, aged 23, to a Japanese network. Before becoming a “fixer,” Khalil, a fresh university graduate, had started working as Shamim’s apprentice a few months prior to the 9/11 attacks. He was given a monthly salary of 4,000 rupees (US$40). His tech-savvy mind helped him adapt to the standard demands of global journalism, that is, how and when to get opening, close-up and non-jerky shots. Armed with a satellite phone, he regularly visited the risky bordering areas, got updates from his local tribal colleagues, attended anti-US protests and cultivated news sources. While in the field, he used the phone to contact his employer in Peshawar to brief them about on-the-ground situation—a form of remote controlled reporting.

After his first trip, Khalil received US$1,500 for two days of work, part of which he shared with the cameraman who accompanied him. He went back again the next week to report on militants’ failed attempt to shoot down a military helicopter in South Waziristan. Khalil was arrested. The authorities evicted him and his cameraman from the conflict zone. “We didn’t get the work done […] only brought some trivial footage […] but my boss paid us 700 dollars,” said Khalil, with his typical confident tone. After this failed attempt, Khalil gradually learned the art of reading his employer’s mind, knowing well that working in the riskiest areas under the highest levels of threat and bringing from there bits and pieces of information and visuals would earn him a handsome payment even if his attempt is not successful.

The “fixers’ ” sense of desperation increased in steady proportion to what was happening all around. The US attack was imminent and so was a general rising sense of unease in response to Musharraf’s blind US support. Coming mainly from radical quarters, this reaction was no longer limited to ex-FATA. The Pashtun Belt, as a whole, felt the amassing anxiety. Some research participants were quite perceptive about the reporting of the global media, especially the Western media. Imtiaz Ali, who completed his journalism degree in the late 1990s at Peshawar University, divided the visiting media into “tabloid” and “quality press.” Working with what Ali called “serious” global media jump started his career.

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