Guest Post by Awab Alvi (Teeth Maestro)
Citizen Journalism, more commonly known as blogging allows anyone the ability to discuss and report an issue or news item immediately, and certainly far sooner then the early morning paper produced by the main stream media. Pakistan is not far behind as blogging is slowly becoming popular and there is no doubt that a time will come when bloggers would be in a position to give the classic paper-based journalists a run for their money.
One such incident appeared just recently at Karachi Metroblog when Jamal Ashiqain a blogger on the network made a post on the Sculptures Along Seaview End Up Stolen early on the morning of January 24th:
Some time back our beach at seaview was blessed with beautiful benches placed on a tiled floor and was beautified with sculptures by our world renowned Artists Amin Gulgee and Anjum Ayaz, placed securely on huge cubical rocks heavy enough to be lifted by cranes. A few days back I visited seaview, I found these heavy rocks void of the beautiful sculptures taunting at the law and order situation of our city. It must have taken some time to chisel off the sculptures from their huge base, but sadly no one noticed it then or even after the crime was committed, the news never made it to any newspaper or TV channel. The sculptures along the beach which promoted our culture and vibrant art scene are almost gone, only a few remain there in place and If proper measures are not taken immediately they will all be gone soon. — Karachi Metroblogs – posted by Jamash at 11:46 AM on January 24, 2007
The very next day, on the 25th, Urooj Zia reports the story in Daily Times which includes an image which ‘appears’ to be a photoshopped version of the picture taken by Jamash a few days earlier, since they don’t attribute credit to the KMB as a source we assume (and also claimed by Urooj Zia in her email exchange with a member of Karachi Metroblogging team) that it was taken by a Daily Times photographer.
But a closer side-by-side comparison does reveal some remarkable similarities, the same shot taken from the same angle, identical shadows being cast across the sculpture having the exact same light source can only lead any observant reader to suspicion. Responding to the post on Karachi Metroblogs Urooj Zia is reported to have said “As for the picture, yaar, insaan buno bhai. I went mad uss din trying to explain the location to our photographer!”
While the following day Dawn reports on the same issue 26th January 2006 Metropolitan Section, page 3, with a completely different set of pictures yet discussing the same story.
It is no use arguing over an image but the team of metrobloggers take this in a positive light to stand proud of having become an important source where the main stream media journalists look to for news stories to later use on their own pages. It should not be long before the bloggers in Pakistan will become a very valuable source of information for upto the minute reporting while the day-old news being published in the classic paper form might be considered old news. The day will come……
Dr. Awab Alvi blogs as Teeth Maestro; this post is based on an original that appeared at Metroblog Karachi, where he also blogs.
Myself and a couple of other journalists in our organisation routinely look at sites like KMB — to get a flavour of things happening in the city
Is it a Coincidence or What? OR could it be just a case of very good timing?
Within a few weeks of my ATP Post on “Hamam Geyser and Beyond – Oyeyeyeyeye Paaaaaaani Thandaaaaaaaaa Heyeyeyeye”, the advertisements from Sui Northern started showing Pictures of the Instant Hot Water Heaters AND Conservation methods for the Conventional Geysers.
GREAT JOB ATP – it seems people in responsibility and authority do pay attention to what you project.
And that is not the first time one of our stories has been picked up either.
Right after my post on Child Sexual Abuse http://karachi.metblogs.com/archives/2006/12/child _abuse_on.phtml on 19th December, Dawn’s Review’s cover story was the same in the Jan 4 edition. I wasnt quoted on anything but the close proximity of both the stories too leads to me believe that we indeed have become a fishing ground for journalists.
Internationally, blogs are considered a credible source of information. About time, Pakistani journalists gave us some credit.
Nice post Adil. Quite frankly you have said all that I could/would say. And yes we did show a BIG heart and “benefit of the doubt” was awarded to the newspapers but it’s good if newspaper admittedly start sharing content. After all, the whole point is propagating truth in any form at speed.
Well done ATP. You are doing an excellent job as well along with LMB & IMB. You all guys are great. Keep up the good work.
I find this very fascinating. I also find the discussion on Karachi Metroblog (KMB) – between the reporter and others – fascinating. But, frankly, I take it as a compliment to KMB that it was a source for a story that was then carried by mainstream papers (Daily Times, Dawn, News). Seems like the reporter did credit the source, if not in the story then at KMG itself on thr original post. (The picture, however, does look suspiciously similar; but sometimes one just has to give the benefit of the doubt.)
My views on this are colored by the fact that I was a mainstream journalist well before I became a blogger, and for much longer (and therefore understand the pressures journalists have -including of space, which bloggers usually do not have). More importantly, my views on this are colored by the fact we bloggers probably use the mainstream media far MORE than they might use us. So, any gloating may be out of place and not all of us always adhere tothe standards we seem to demand of them. I know I could simply not do ATP without the internet editions of mainstream papers – espeically Daily Times, which along with News and Dawn are my prinical sources for news, opinion and photographs. So, I am very thankful to them. But for them, I woudl not be doing this blog and woudl have far more time on my hand than I now do ;-)
Congrats Jamsh and Karachi Metrobloggers – and thanks. KMB along with its Lahore and Islamabad siblings, is one of my favorite haunts for ideas and inspirations. Congrats, also, Urooj. You are obviously ahead of the curve on recognizing that blogs are a great medium for knowing what people are really thinking about and getting excited about.